


Fading Dreams

by Dragon_of_Dreams



Series: Ballad of Dreams and Memories [1]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Amnesia, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Violence, Brotherly Bonding, Choking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Gen, Heavy Angst, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Major Character Injury, My First AO3 Post, My First Fanfic, Panic Attacks, Soft Legend (Linked Universe), Songfic, Tags May Be Added/Changed, Temporary Character Death, suffocation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-02-18 14:03:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 48,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21512224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragon_of_Dreams/pseuds/Dragon_of_Dreams
Summary: For once, Legend had a peaceful dream. One where he could be at peace, with Marin at the beach. Even if he knew it wasn't real, he would keep it close to his heart.But those dreams are not meant to last forever.
Relationships: Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Four & Hyrule (Linked Universe), Link/Marin (Legend of Zelda), Twilight & Warriors (Linked Universe), Warriors & Wind (Linked Universe)
Series: Ballad of Dreams and Memories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1614514
Comments: 67
Kudos: 263





	1. Sleepers Wake

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first contribution the Linked Universe fandom and my first work on AO3 overall.
> 
> Many thanks to the LU Discord Server for this angsty idea. (Sorry, not sorry)
> 
> And thanks to Jojo56830 for creating this amazing fandom.

Her red hair shone with the radiance of the sun against the backdrop of the clear blue sky. Her voice chimed like an angel’s, singing the most beautiful song that reached his ears. The crashes of the waves and the cries of the seagulls joined the symphony only meant for them. And them alone by the sea.

Marin was, quite literally, the girl of his dreams.

Link already held the ocarina in his hand, his finger sliding against its smooth surface as he kept listening to her voice.

“Come on, Link! Join me!”

With a smile, Link then played along on his ocarina. The whistling of the instrument joining in harmony with Marin’s singing. Link moved his fingers in a practiced motion along with the notes of Marin’s voice. He was getting better with the ocarina, Link thought, but it could never quite match with her voice.

Not that it did matter. He just loved hearing her voice and playing his ocarina with her.

_If only this could last forever—_

Link stopped abruptly. He had sworn the waves froze in place and the seagulls disappeared from the sky, but once he blinked everything returned to normal. Between him and Marin lay the sands and a strong breeze. A voice, a familiar voice, echoed from the depths of his mind, calling his name.

_“—End. Legend!”_

Link’s chest tightened. He recognized the voice. _Oh dream, please let me not wake up…_

“Marin,” Link started to say, his eyes glancing downward. _How can I tell you that—that you’re not real? How I wish you were?_

“Marin. I—”

Marin approached him slowly, closing the distance between them. She lifted his head, forcing Link to meet her brilliant brown eyes. Marin shushed him, caressing his face.

“So you wish, and yet… a dream has to end one day. Such is the fate of time. Link. Please, don't ever forget this song… or me…”

Words got caught in his throat. His eyes stung with the threat of his tears bursting out. _She knew?_ Link rapidly blinked his tears away and took a deep breath. He lifted his arm and grabbed Marin’s hand, squeezing it tight in his.

“So far I haven’t,” Link said. “I will never forget you, Marin. I promise.”

“Even if everything disappears like the wind—”

_“Legend!”_

“—I will swim in the sky of your memories,” Marin said.

“Marin. _Please.”_

“Even after you’ve awoken from it, the dream will always be inside you.” Marin pulled her hand from Link’s grasp and wrapped her arms softly around his body.

Before Link could react, Marin gave him her brightest smile. “So, what was I saying? Want to go back to Mabe Village? I want to play the trendy game again!”

It caught him by surprise, but Link smiled back and nodded, even if he remembered that Marin was banned from the place. _If only I can stay a little longer._ He ignored the voice still calling for him. The couple ran back to the village, the shores devoid of Sea Urchins and Octoroks that once plagued it.

As the two reached the village, they laughed as they avoided the ball tossed between the two kids. Kidoh and Jonnya, if Link recalled their names correctly. Link yelped as he also dodged BowWow’s huge, deadly chomp that nearly ripped his tunic off. Marin giggled at his misfortune. Link pouted back at her, but it quickly turned back into a contagious grin.

When the two arrived at the Trendy Game building, Link groaned at the overgrowth blocking the entrance. “You know,” Link told Marin, “it’s a wonder anyone comes here.” He took out his sword and slashed the bushes away, paving the path to the building.

When Link reached inside he met nothing but darkness. “Marin?” Link fluttered his eyelids, meeting a blurry figure standing… above him? He lifted up his hand, reaching up for the face.

“Marin?”

“Thank Goddesses, Legend.”  
  
His hand deflated. Link—No. _Legend_ knew the owner of the voice. It wasn’t her.  
  
“I’ve been trying to wake you up for a while now.”

Legend blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes until the blur cleared up to reveal Hyrule’s face. Worried brown eyes glanced down at him. Hyrule brought down a hand to lift him up, but Legend swatted it away.

“What d’ya want?” Legend mumbled, rising up from his bedroll.

“It’s your shift now.”

Right. Right. Watch. Legend nodded, shooing Hyrule away. As Hyrule walked away, Legend noticed the hesitation in his step. Briefly, Hyrule turned his head to face Legend and opened his mouth as if to say something, but he stopped and just continued back to his spot. Whatever that was on his mind he never brought it up.

Legend was left alone. In the darkness of the night, long after the embers of the campfire had died out, everyone else slept, except for a very familiar wolf. Wolfie lied by Wild’s side, staring at Legend with sharp blue eyes that were unnatural for a wolf.

“What’re you staring at?” Legend whispered. Wolfie’s ear twitched in response. Legend waited for a few minutes until Wolfie turned around and lay his head down with Wild.

For everyone else in the camp, including Hyrule, they were all asleep. Except Twilight, of course, he had to be missing right now. Nearly everyone in the camp occasionally twitched or turned around, which was common for the group of Links. Then there’s Sky. How can that guy sleep so peacefully when there’s possible danger of an ambush?

But then… Marin.

Legend sighed, regretting taking a shift for once on a peaceful night. He picked at his pink locks of hair at the left side of his face. It wasn’t quite the same, but it reminded him of the redhead. _His_ redhead. Not Time’s Malon. Time’s lucky that she’s real, he’d admit. Not that he would say it to his face.

But if there’s one thing Legend can make into reality it’s Marin’s song: the Ballad of the Wind Fish. He took out the ocarina from his pocket, its surface rough from the wear and tear of him carrying it from the past… few months? Years? It still felt like he had gotten it yesterday.

Satisfied that no one had woken up yet, Legend put on his Pegasus Boots, ignoring his cap and tunic neatly folded beside it. He also grabbed his sword and shield and walked away far from camp into the exposure of Wild’s Hyrule Field. The others would be okay with him gone, he assured himself, he wouldn’t take long. Just one try tonight. Maybe two. Three…

Legend knew better. As the veteran of the group, he knew the dangers of leaving the camp alone and leaving himself exposed to the wild. He wasn’t that stupid. Yet it had been oddly peaceful tonight, both in the real world and in his dreams.

He prayed to Hylia that the monsters would not disturb them tonight.

Legend sat on a hill overlooking the camp, far enough so that the ocarina wouldn’t disturb the others, but still close enough that he could still watch for an ambush. 

He began to play a few notes on the ocarina, warming himself up before the song. The notes wavered in the air, unlike the sharp, clear sound he heard within his mind.

_Not very good…_

_I’m trying, Marin._

_Eh? What? Did I say something? No, you're hearing things..._

Taking a deep breath, Legend continued playing the ocarina, concentrating on the sounds of the notes. Then, as the notes became as clear as a whistle and no longer wavered under his breath, Legend played the Ballad of the Wind Fish.

Marin’s voice joined him in his mind. Legend closed his eyes, seeing her face behind his eyelids. For once, Legend let Marin take over the night, as the moonlight illuminated the plains. The breeze of the sea brushing his face.

And then a scorching pain seared through his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter references the Japanese official lyrics for Ballad of the Wind Fish. There's also references to the English version of the lyrics throughout the fic. Ballad of the Wind Fish belongs to Nintendo.


	2. Dreams Will Fade

Legend crashed and rolled down the hill. His body ached all over. As he came to a stop, he looked up to the trail lit ablaze in his path, but no monster waited for him at the top. Lifting himself from the ground, Legend looked around and noticed a glow of blue light in the distance. A circular light searching around for a target. 

And it locked its eye on him, with a laser pointed at his chest. Glowing pink marks illuminated its body, revealing it as one of Wild’s _Guardians._

Of course, Legend shouldn’t have been expecting anything better. He should have at least put on his blue cap and the red tunic over his shirt.

The Hero of Legend raised his shield, ignoring the sting from his side, and whistled. Wolfie barked in response. Clamor resounded from the camp, the others picking up their weaponry and yelling his name. All that noise pounded his head.

Then a blunt force hit the mirror shield, knocking Legend back to the ground. To his side, the grass scorched. Yells reached his ears and Legend saw the rest of the group running out of the camp. Hyrule rushed straight to him while the others ran to the Guardian.

“Are you okay?” Hyrule asked.

“I’m fine.” Legend hissed.

“Are you sure? Let me—”

Legend waved the other boy off. “‘Rule, I’m telling you I’m fine. Save your magic.”

“But—”

“Worry about me later,” Legend spat, not quite meeting Hyrule’s hurt expression. “We got a Guardian to destroy.” He ran towards the Guardian, ignoring the other boy’s protests behind him. 

Wild circled around the beast. Eyes narrowed. He held his bow out, pulling back an arrow and pointed at the Guardian. Wolfie followed alongside him, growling.

“I can’t get its eye,” Wild said. “Everyone, cut its legs off!”

“On it!” With his Pegasus Boots, Legend dashed towards the Guardian and quickly cut one of the Guardian’s long limbs, cutting it off and leaving nothing but a stub glowing with blue electricity.

The remaining Links followed. Time, with his Biggoron sword, swung at one of the limbs. Sky, Four, Wind, and Warriors, all followed, each cutting a limb off the beast, leaving it with nothing but a glowing, sitting husk shooting aimlessly around it. The surrounding Links retreated from its vicinity, backing off from the grass burning around them.

It was left up to Wild.

The Guardian still spun its head, its blue eye unable to decide between targets. Until it pointed at the still-standing Hyrule. Its laser firm in its glare. Hyrule held his shield to his side, with an unnatural glow coming from it. He had the Reflect Spell ready.

“Hyrule! Don’t just stand there!” yelled Warriors.

“Wild! Hit its eye! Quick!”

“Do something. _Now.”_

The Guardian shot its beam just as Wild shot his arrow, hitting its eye. Hyrule lifted his shield in time, reflecting the beam back to its owner.

A glow emanated from its body and the Guardian promptly exploded, leaving only its remains. Wild gathered the parts left behind by the Guardian and put them away (Why? Legend didn’t know).

Legend walked back to the spell-caster, sheathing his sword and shield on his back.

“Hyrule? I _told_ you to save your magic.”

“But it worked out, right?”

Legend scoffed. “I guess so. Make sure no one else is injured.”

A quick glance at the group still worried him. Where was Twilight? Why was this wolf fighting their battles? Speaking of the wolf, he was still tense. A growl emanated from him.

Wild lifted his bow. “Guys, I don’t think we’re safe yet.”

“Hyrule, Legend, go back to camp.” Warriors said. “The rest of us will scout the area. Call us if you find anything.”

Legend was about to retort until the pain from his side flared up again. “Fine,” he said. “But I’ll be back with my stuff. Think I might’ve a potion left.”

Legend began to walk away before he could listen to a response uttered from Warriors—or anyone, really. Hyrule followed behind. Again, with hesitant footsteps.

“Um… Legend,” Hyrule started when the two reached the camp. The belongings were disturbed, most likely from the others gathering their weapons to fight the Guardians, but nothing seemed missing at a glance.

Legend picked up his pouch next to his bedroll and checked his belongings. “I’m listening,” he said, searching for a potion while also keeping a mental checklist of his items. His hookshot, his bug net, his bow…

“This isn’t like you.”

Legend whipped his head to face the brunette. “What do you mean?”

“You wouldn’t have been caught off like that.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well… I mean,” Hyrule scratched the back of his neck. “You’ve been…off lately?” He shook his head. “It just isn’t like you. There’s something I’ve been wondering.”

Legend hummed, turning back to his pouch. “What’s that?”

“Who’s Marin?”

“No one,” Legend said too quickly. He snarled. _“She’s no one._ Just a dream, okay?”

His eyes stung. He blinked his eyes a couple of times and focused back on his items, hoping that Hyrule didn’t notice. Where was the darn potion? Just as he passed the empty bottles he had, Legend picked up a bottle that felt heavier than the rest.

“Found it. ‘Rule, do me a favor. Grab my tunic over there—"

A gasp escaped from Hyrule’s mouth. “The shadow.”

Legend lifted his head, his eyes widening as the shadow Lizalfos stared at them intently with glowing red eyes, its black scales blending with the shade of the trees.

A ringing reached their ears. Skeletal versions of Wild’s Moblins and Bokoblins surfaced from the ground. Along with them came the skeletal humanoids: the Stalfos. They quickly surrounded the duo.

And the shadow Lizalfos fled.

“Ugh, I don’t have time to deal with this.”

“Legend, wait!”

“‘Rule, take this and take care of the monsters.”

_I’m gonna deal with the shadow that created this mess myself._

Legend threw the bottle at Hyrule and chased after the shadow creature, avoiding the monsters and trees in his way. The grass and flowers brushed against Legend’s exposed legs as he ran through the field, running up a much taller hill with trees waiting at the top. The Lizalfos curved around a large tree, switching direction. It passed through wild horses, spooking them.

“Come fight me, you coward!” Legend yelled.

The Lizalfos continued to as it reached the bottom of the hill, only to slow down as it crossed the road. Legend followed it and slowed down to a halt himself, wondering why it took until now for the Lizalfos to stop in the middle of a vast and open field.

Its scales seemed to...melt? Its body turned into a blob before shifting into another form. It transformed into a dark, shadowed form of Legend. The Dark Link turned around, glaring back at the hero. Dark Link summoned a sword in his hand from the same liquid that held his form.

“I have fought shadows like you before,” Legend said, drawing his sword. “I’m not afraid of you.”

Without a word, Dark Link sprang and slashed towards the hero, his weapon clashing with Legend’s Tempered Sword. Time after time the two swords collided, neither swordsman gaining an advantage.

Legend took a few steps back, holding his sword in defensive. He stared at the shadow’s movements, carefully analyzing for an opening, a wide swing.

Legend thrusted his sword. The shadow jumped onto it, briefly surprising the veteran. Dark Link then backflipped back to the ground as Legend pulled his sword back.

 _Alright. So a thrust wouldn’t work. Now what?_ Legend grunted. The battle wasn’t getting anywhere. A slash occasionally grazed upon the shadow, but Dark Link countered back with one of his own. It didn’t help Legend his right side _burned._ But he had to ignore it. He had to.

It was a stalemate. Legend brought up his shield, feeling himself slowing down. _Where are the others?_

He remembered Hyrule. A pang of guilt flashed in his mind. The force of Dark Link’s each swing became stronger, knocking him a few steps back.

Then it stopped. Legend still tensed, his entire body pounding, ticking as if it was a bomb. But nothing came. Legend took a few, desperate breaths and risked himself lowering his shield, taking a glance.

The shadow no longer resembled a mirror of himself, but now of the girl that had haunted his dreams. His nightmares.

“M-Ma—?”

A sword’s thrust knocked the life out of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone. 
> 
> This chapter was personally hard to write but I hope that the wait was worth it.


	3. Although We Cling Fast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep in mind of the tags. You've been warned.

Four ducked and rolled to the side, avoiding the incoming club from a Stalmoblin. He sliced the skeletal monster’s legs, splitting the bones apart into the ground. He then aimed at the head, destroying it into dust. The rest of its body, however, reformed into an animated, headless skeleton.

“We have to destroy every single one,” Wild said, having destroyed the heads of the group that surrounded him with a spin attack. However, their bodies still remained.

Four nodded. The group of Links had heard the ringing when the Stalmoblins and Stalbokoblins dug up from the ground. Each of the Links dealt with their own group of those monsters. Four was no exception, directing his attention to the Stalbokoblin, knocking its head off.

The shadow had to be nearby.

 _Legend and Hyrule should have_ _been back by now,_ Vio said in his mind.

 _They better not be slacking off while we’re dealing with those monsters,_ Blue snarled.

 _Legend wouldn’t back out. Not when he said he’d be back,_ Vio replied back.

 _What if something happened to them?_ Red cried.

 _Guys, calm down!_ Green yelled.

“Calm down…” Four muttered to himself, pushing the voices to the back of his mind. An arrow narrowly missed Four’s shoulder, hitting the Stalbokoblin head-on. Four turned to face the archer, a Stalmoblin carrying a bow and arrow, its aim ready at the multi-colored hero.

Wolfie jumped from the side, knocking the archer down before it could shoot its arrow and ripped the head off its body. Wolfie let out two sharp barks at Four. Four finished the head off and swung his sword around, slicing off the monster behind him.

“Thanks, Wolfie,” Four said. He then murmured, “I wonder what happened to those two.”

The downed skeletal remains picked themselves back up. The monsters surrounded the duo. Wolfie barked at the Hylian, pointing his head to the camp.

“Guys! I think Wolfie wants me to follow him,” Four yelled to the other Links.

“You’re not going alone,” Warriors said, blocking a sword slash from a Stalfos. “Don’t want something to happen to you too.”

“Go find Twilight first,” Time called out.

“Do you really trust him with Four?” Warriors yelled. “He hasn’t been with us all this time!”

“Now’s not the time to argue. Four, just go.”

“Thanks, Time,” Four said.

The wolf bolted towards the woods. Four ran along. As they reached halfway through the field, Four yelped as he nearly tripped to the ground. Wolfie let out a whine, turning back to check on the Hylian.

“I’m okay,” Four said. He faced down to meet the strange object he had kicked over, surrounded by charred grass. “Twi, look at this.”

Four picked up the object. It was nearly unrecognizable, its form blackened and melted down. Wolfie sniffed the object and let out a small whine in response. Black magic gathered around the wolf, transforming the animal into the two-legged, wolf-clad Hylian.

“That belongs to Legend,” Twilight said, standing up and grabbing the object from Four. “He won’t be happy when he sees this.”

Four sighed. “Let’s just go. Hyrule and Legend need our help.”

The two heroes made their run towards the camp, hoping that the other two could handle the assault on their own, _if_ they were assaulted by the monsters. For all they knew they were resting, with Hyrule making sure that Legend recovered.

But their hopes were dashed as they saw a few of the trees had caught on fire. With no a single cloud in the sky they were left with few other possibilities. Either Hyrule’s cooking was so terrible he caught the water on fire and spread it, or they were forced to use it to defend themselves.

As soon as Four saw a Stalfos, he knew it was the latter. Twilight took charge, forcing his way through the Stal monsters. Four stayed behind, taking out his Gust Jar and aimed it away from Twilight. As Four activated the jar, the jar started to inhale everything in front of it, pulling leaves from the trees and bones from the monsters.

As the Gust Jar’s inhaling strengthened, the Stal monsters found it harder to resist, losing their skulls until one got stuck into the jar. Then Four blew all the air away, also blowing the fires out. 

Four kept doing it until all the flames were out. After putting away the fires, Four scanned the area for the missing comrades, also shielding himself.

It didn’t take long for Four to hear someone’s shaky, heavy breathing. He followed the sound, his eyes landed on the brunette, who was laying down and leaning against a tree, his hand extended, shivering.

“Hyrule!”

Four ran to the traveler hero’s side. Instantly he saw how Hyrule had his eyes shut and held his torso with his other arm around it. _Bruised ribs, maybe broken,_ Vio reasoned. _Can’t know until we evaluate him._ Hyrule was also bleeding from the back of his head, the blood leaking into the tree.

“Hyrule,” Four said. Noticing the traveler flinch, he said. “It’s me, Four. Where’s Legend?”

Hyrule dropped his arm. “He—” he wheezed. “H-he left me. Legend left me.”

 _What?!_ the Blue in Four blurted out. _I’m going to kill him_!

“Where did he go?” Four whispered, afraid that Hyrule would hear the anger in his voice.

 _He must have a good reason,_ Green countered.

“I-I don’t know! _I don’t know!”_ Hyrule panicked. “He chased after the shadow!”

“Hey, hey.” Four held the traveler. “Calm down. Just breathe.”

“Four!” Twilight cried. He jumped in, blocking a Stalmoblin’s club. “Doing okay over there?”

“Hyrule is injured,” he explained. Turning back to Hyrule, he asked, “Can you heal yourself?”

The brunette shook his head.

“Can you move at least? We need to get you out.”

“Four, I don’t know how long I can last here.” Twilight fought off the Stal monsters away from Hyrule and Four. One by one he knocked their skulls off. Then, just as he finished off the last head, everything burst into dust.

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Looks like we got all of them.”

Twilight sheathed his weapons and knelt next to Four. “We need to get you checked out,” he said to Hyrule. “Don’t move, we’re going to find something for you.”

The camp was, to say the least, a mess. Leaves, branches, and the campfire wood scattered all over. Extra swords and shields were knocked to the ground. Bedrolls tangled and rolled around. Items that were on one side of the camp had been thrown to the other side of the woods. _We_ _have to clean it up all later,_ Four thought, _after everyone comes back from the camp._

His eyes caught on to a bottle on the ground. He picked it up, seeing the red liquid swirling around inside the container. “I found a potion,” Four said.

“That’s L-Legend’s,” Hyrule said.

Four frowned. _Typical…_

“Here, take it.” Four showed the potion to Hyrule. “I’m sure the others will be fine.”

* * *

Wild growled. He couldn’t see any more skulls that needed to be destroyed. All they could do was to keep them off, but whenever a body went down, another rose back up in its place. It was a vicious cycle.

Some, like Sky and Wind, had attempted to use bombs. Unfortunately, whenever the bones crumbled into dust they somehow formed back to their perfect shape by a black liquid inside their bones.

They were infected. Great.

Wild’s shield snapped in half. He hissed at the pain flaring through his arm. His sword swings wavered as he tried to keep fighting off. The others were also showing clumsiness too, reacting slower to attacks coming from multiple sides. Injuries flaring up in their wake.

Suddenly, the monsters all vanished.

“What just happened?” Sky asked.

“Looks like Four and Twilight got the rest of them,” Wild replied. “Or…”

He took out the Sheikah Slate and checked the time. It wasn’t quite five a.m. Not yet. He sighed. They had to have fought the rest.

“So not only are the monsters getting stronger,” Time said, walking to Wild. “They’re increasing in number too.”

“I’ve fought thousands of monsters in my war,” Warriors added. “But it’s nothing like this.”

After putting away the Sheikah Slate, Wild gathered a few weapons dropped from the monsters. A few swords, a bow and a shield or two.

As he picked up a Knight’s Shield he could use for now, his eyes narrowed. He brought up the Sheikah Slate’s scope and saw through it. Across the field, Wild saw Legend fighting by himself, shielding himself against… a shadow of a girl?

And the shadow stabbed through Legend.

 _No!_ Wild’s eyes widened. 

No _no no no no no no no_.

He cannot fail Legend. Wild sprinted through the grass, ignoring the others calling behind him and the aching pain all over his body. He had to get to Legend. _Fast._

The girl-like shadow opened a portal and vanished into it, leaving only a wounded Legend behind. Wild was gasping for air, but he had to keep running.

“Legend!”

Wild reached out to grab the veteran before he collapsed into the ground. Legend lay unconscious, his breathing shallow and labored. 

“Legend, wake up,” Wild cried. His voice cracked. “Please, wake up!” He growled. “That Shadow—”

A firm hand grasped onto his shoulder. Wild turned his head to meet Warriors, who shook his own head.

“Let it go,” he said. “Let’s worry about it later. We need to focus on Hyrule and Legend.”

Turning to face the portal, Wild found it was already gone.

“It will come back. It _has_ to come back, right?”

The captain didn’t answer.

Wild faced the fallen hero again. His side was bleeding profusely, the blood seeping into the champion’s hand.

“Just hang on, Legend.”

Wild shifted his position. He held Legend in one hand and lowered the veteran to his knee. Then he grabbed the slate on his free hand and checked for his supplies, something that would save Legend…

Horror found his face as he double-checked everything he had. He had run out of fairies and hearty elixirs. He also didn’t have any hearty lizards to make any new elixirs. All he had was hearty food and there wasn’t any way Legend could eat it in the state he was now. So how…?

“Warriors.” Wild flinched at his own voice. “Go find Hyrule. We don’t have a lot of time.”

Warriors nodded and ran back to the others, Wild assumed it was to tell them to search for their only healer. Wild lowered Legend to the ground. He then took off his cloak and then wrapped it around his torso so it could hopefully slow down the bleeding. He _hoped._

Legend, the one who went through more adventures than anyone else, had to be strong enough to survive this wound.

But Wild knew that even heroes chosen by the Goddess Hylia weren’t infallible.

“You’ll be alright,” he whispered, although he wasn’t sure if he was reassuring Legend or himself more. “You’ll be alright. Just hang on.”

“Cub!”

Wild turned around. He saw Twilight running with Hyrule, with the rest of the group behind them.

“Cub, what happened—”

Twilight froze. Hyrule covered his mouth, gasping at the condition of his predecessor.

“Hyrule, can you heal him?” Wild asked.

Hyrule flinched. He nodded, kneeling beside where the wound was and put his hands on Legend’s side. He muttered some words and his hands began to glow pink.

But the pink glow wavered. Hyrule’s hands were shaking and the rest of his body followed. Wild noticed and leaned towards Hyrule, grabbing him.

“Stop. Don’t push yourself. Okay?”

Hyrule continued to quiver. Wild felt the eyes from the others boring on his back. The weight from the other six heroes rested upon his shoulders.

“Is there anyway to save him?” Wind asked, exasperated.

Wild could just go search for fairies. The great fairy fountain by Kakariko village had them but he feared that with their fleeting nature he wouldn’t catch them in time. He also wished he could call upon Mipha once again. To call for her Grace onto Legend.

Wild sighed. There was only one thing left. One he wished he wouldn’t bring upon anyone else. Not even Legend.

“I have to take him to the Shrine of Resurrection.”

He was met with gasps and then silence. Hyrule looked at him, his mouth wide open. Wild glanced to the side, unable to meet the tearful brown eyes.

“Go over there,” Wild pointed past the Whistling Hill towards the Dueling Peaks. “There’s the Riverside Stable. I will meet you there.”

Twilight helped lift Hyrule up. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.

“It’s the only way we can save him.”

Wild lifted Legend close to him. Legend’s breathing and heartbeat non-existent.

Wild picked up his Sheikah Slate once again. His arm trembled as he scrolled through the map of his Hyrule, searching for the blue icon that stood out from the rest. _The Shrine of Resurrection,_ it read. He tapped on it and then tapped _Travel._

And the blue Sheikah technology whisked them away.

* * *

Wild’s breath hitched. The Sheikah walls closed upon him and the blue ceiling felt like it would crash down on him at any moment. He didn’t like to be here. Not again.

He rushed up the ramp into the room and laid Legend into the bed capsule. He remembered how he woke up here wearing nothing but his trousers. So should he…?

He didn’t know how Zelda—or anyone—did it with him, but Wild carefully stripped his own cloak and Legend’s clothing off the veteran’s body. He took a glance at the green shirt. A huge rip appeared where the shadow’s sword had gone through.

“We’ll make sure we get it fixed when you wake up, Legend.”

After putting Legend’s clothes away, Wild knew there was one more step to do. He turned to the Sheikah Pedestal waiting by the doorway. His fingers flickered to the slate. It had to work. That it wasn't too late to save Legend.

Wild prayed it wouldn’t last another one hundred years.


	4. Was it Real?

The Riverside Stable was one of the better places the group could be while they recovered. Twilight had just finished wrapping up a bandage around Hyrule’s head, courtesy from the stable owner, Ember.

“Don’t go around moving much, okay?” Twilight said, making sure that Hyrule lay down in the bed. “Last thing you need is a concussion.”

Hyrule smiled in response.

Twilight checked upon the others. Most of them showed signs of weariness and injury and he had helped tending to them—something he had learned from his time as a ranch hand, helping injured animals too. The one relatively unscathed was Four all things considered, only resting because of tiredness.

Twilight looked down at his hands. They were rough and raw from his time spent running as a wolf. Something that his gauntlets couldn’t protect him from. It was a cost of his beast form granting him better agility and stronger senses, but it was one he was willing to take.

Among the Links, Twilight knew he was one of the least injured. His arms did end up sore but he ignored it as long as the others needed him. Besides Hyrule, Sky and Wind lay down in their respective beds, their wounds bandaged.

The worst among them was…

Twilight sighed. He didn’t dare think about _his_ condition. He remembered the look in his cub’s eyes as he had frantically searched for the shrine in his slate. Terrified. How each second—how each heartbeat counted.

Time, his mentor, spoke solemnly with Ember. “We were ambushed by monsters,” he explained, his voice low. “We lost one of our own and we’re waiting for another to come back. Once we recover we’re on our way.”

Twilight tensed. He didn’t like how his mentor sounded so… _defeated_. So hopeless. As if they already had lost the fight. But Twilight knew better, his own experiences with his cub gave him that. If the Shrine of Resurrection was able to save Wild, he had no doubt it would save Legend too.

Whether it lasted another one hundred years was another matter.

Twilight looked over to Warriors, who sat in a stool grasping a cup of coffee. Warriors lacked the shoulder armor on his person, which now rested on the floor beside him. The long blue scarf was rewrapped around him, shortening its length to around his shoulders when it usually ran through his back. The cold-filled gaze and the scowl traced on his face was directed towards the wolf-clad hero.

Twilight had felt how the captain’s glare burned into his back all this time. But he said nothing. Warriors had every right to be upset.

The ranch hand sat across from the captain and served himself a cup of the dark liquid from the jug. But he didn’t drink it. Instead, he clasped the cup on the wooden circular table between them, staring at how the liquid wavered.

“Why are we sitting here, moping around?” Wind yelled from his bed. “Legend’s strong! I’m sure he can make it!”

All eyes turned to the youngest hero from his sudden outburst. The Hero of Winds crossed his arms, wincing as he accidentally touched the large gash in his bandaged arm, but he quickly morphed back into a sulking expression.

No one dared to answer. Not right away. The weight of the silence burdened over everyone’s shoulders. As if a poe hovered over them, whisking away the spirit of each hero.

It was Sky who finally lifted the silence. “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” he said. “He’s a hero just like us. Hylia wouldn’t allow it to happen.”

“Wish it could be said the same for Wild,” Time muttered under his breath. “Speaking of Wild,” Time started raising his voice, “Pup, do you know when he’s coming back?”

“It should be soon,” Twilight said, but doubt clouded him as he thought of the time. The champion should have come back a long time ago, Twilight thought. All he had to do was put _him_ in the Shrine of Resurrection and teleport back to the shrine outside the stable.

Why was the cub taking so long? Did he get distracted by the wilderness again?

Twilight took a sip of his coffee. Bitterness flowed in his tongue.

“Twilight.”

Said hero swallowed. His eyes glanced upon the captain, who was still scowling at him. Warriors continued, speaking with the tone of a commander.

“We need to talk. Outside.”

Twilight’s grasp tightened on his cup, but he nodded. The two heroes rose from their seats, leaving their cups behind as they walked out of the stable.

They followed the path uphill, past the shrine overlooking the stable. Its blue glow resonated brightly even against the sunlight. Sharp blue eyes locked with the shrine, even as Twilight distanced himself away from it.

The champion never materialized on the shrine.

_Cub, what are you up to?_

After a sigh, Twilight turned his gaze back to the captain, still following him. Tension overwhelmed him. He had never seen the captain walk so stiffly before, especially during small walks like this. Warriors held his hands tight, marching on through the dirt path with stride.

“Captain—”

“We’re almost there.”

“That’s not what I—”

“We will talk when we get there.”

Twilight shut up at Warriors’s finality.

The two strayed off the path towards a cluster of trees. A little ways from the stable for their private talk, but still close enough to call for help in an emergency. The shrine was also across the path, close enough to alert the two of Wild’s arrival should he come.

The two took cover under the large tree in the middle of the cluster. Warriors didn’t meet Twilight’s eyes, instead staring at the river that flowed besides them. It’d be a serene scene, just the two of them watching the river.

“I hope you know why we’re here.”

The ranch hand remained silent. He knew. He had heard the words Warriors spoke about him to Time and Four. He also recalled how, a while back, Warriors had called him out during one of the monsters’ invasions.

 _Nice lookout by the way_.

But he didn’t have Wild—or anyone else—to defend him this time.

“Let me guess,” Twilight dwelled on his words, trying to choose them carefully. “Is it that you don’t trust me? Do you?”

Warriors chuckled. “Trust you? Speak for yourself, _traitor!”_

A knife flung to Twilight’s neck, dangerously close to drawing blood. He could feel it jab against his skin, but he didn’t dare to move.

“What’s the meaning of this, Warriors?”

“The _meaning_ of this, Twilight, is that there are times I’ve never seen you during battle!” Warriors yelled. “What are you doing, hiding away while we deal with monsters? Are you even a _hero?”_

Twilight’s hands tightened. “I’m much of a hero as you are, Warriors,” he said through gritted teeth.

“What are you hiding?” Warriors said under his breath.

“Hey, travelers!”

Warriors pulled his knife away, turning to face a traveler behind them. The traveler was equipped, with a large backpack on his back. Glistering eyes shifted between the two heroes.

“Excuse me, young traveler,” the traveler started, finally settling on Warriors. “But if I may be so bold… You look quite troubled. Perhaps a glimpse into what your future holds would bring comfort to your spirit?”

Warriors shifted a glance towards Twilight before turning back to the mysterious traveler.

“That is…may I tell you your fortune?”

Silence breathed through the captain. Warriors closed his eyes, standing still for a moment. Twilight watched him, concerned.

_You aren’t seriously considering it, are you?_

“No, thank you," Warriors said. "I’ll pass.”

“Perhaps that is for the best… Some things may be better off left unknown. Like… how today is the day your life is ended!”

“Warriors!”

Twilight’s Ordon Sword blocked the disguised Yiga’s carver. The traveler had transformed into a Yiga footsoldier, wearing a white mask depicting the upside-down Sheikah eye.

Warriors replaced his knife with his sword. He joined Twilight and struck at the soldier, slicing through the soldier’s red suit. A scream escaped from under the mask.

The soldier flipped back, holding onto his wound. He disappeared in a puff of red, never to be seen again.

Warriors held his sword back towards Twilight. “You did this, didn’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Twilight! Warriors! What are you doing!”

Twilight saw Time and Four in the corner of his eye, running towards them with their swords drawn. The shorter hero gasped as he stopped in front of them, while the taller hero widened his eye.

“What’s going on?” Time asked.

“Time, Four, we have a traitor among us,” Warriors spat. “This guy over here brought a Yiga soldier to kill me!”

“I’m sure there’s an explanation for this,” Time said calmly.

“I will tell you one. This guy didn’t even appear for the battle last night. I’m pretty sure he ran, snitching to the Yiga while we were getting killed.”

“Warriors,” Four said. “Remember, we all have our secrets.”

“It’s when secrets are detrimental to our team that I take issue with.”

 _“Warriors,”_ Four repeated, firmer this time. “Twilight was with me when we saved Hyrule.”

“He’s a two-faced snitch. One moment here, gone the next. How can you both trust him so much? Are you two into it too?”

Neither of them spoke.

“Maybe that’s why you’re so close to Wild,” Warriors continued. “You’re just trying to get him close to the Yiga.”

“Don’t bring the cub into this.”

* * *

Hands slammed the doors open. Eyes landed on a short six-year-old girl, who was much older and wiser than her appearance would lead anyone to believe.

The little girl stood on a stool, her eyes glued to a sheet of paper on the table in front of her. She only turned around at the newcomer’s presence.

He ran towards her, ignoring the sheets of paper scattered throughout the floor.

“Purah. I need your help.”

* * *

Wind was tired. He was very _very_ tired. Tired of laying down in the bed, waiting to hear news of the commotion that had just happened— _was_ _still happening_ —outside. Or at least he thought so. He couldn’t hear anything happening. But neither Time nor Four had come back yet. There wasn’t even any sign of Warriors and Twilight. Wind turned his head towards Sky, whose bed was closer to the exit. Sky had tilted his head towards the outdoors. A frown managed its way into his lips.

“Sky? Do you hear anything?” Wind asked.

“I think it’s yelling,” Sky replied. “It’s too muffled to make out what it is though.”

Wind’s expression matched with Sky’s. It just confirmed his thoughts. Something was going on. And he didn’t want to remain like a flightless seagull, waiting for his wings to recover. So he hopped off his bed, to the shock of everyone yet to the surprise of no one except for Ember.

“Kid, where do you think are going? You’re still injured.”

“So?” Wind said loudly. “I can’t just sit here. I have to make sure the others are okay.

“Besides, I’m not a kid anymore. I’m just as capable as the rest of us.”

Wind grabbed his Phantom Sword and his shield from the floor and sheathed them to his back. Then he went his way out, ignoring any more protests from the others. He adjusted his limping leg, wincing at every step but he tried his best to walk as normal as he could.

It didn’t take long for him to find out the cause. Warriors and Twilight were at each other’s throats, while Time and Four tried to intervene, putting themselves in the middle of the clash.

Wind gasped. He ran towards them, his limping betraying his steps.

“Wind, don’t get near them!”

The young hero froze. Time and Four were on Twilight’s side, the three of them glaring at the captain, all alone.

“What’s going on? Tell me!”

“Traitors. The bunch of them.”

Time narrowed his eye. “You didn’t offer Twilight a chance to explain himself.”

“His actions offered enough.”

Wind flinched. He took a long look at Twilight. The ranch hand remained still, his expression unreadable. Wind tried to recall a time, to envision him under his eyelids. Yes, there were times Twilight was with them, such as that one battle with a huge brown Moblin that struck the eldest of the group.

But there also were other times, Wind thought with a frown, where Twilight was missing altogether. Wind joined to Warriors’s side, glaring at the three opposing heroes.

“I agree with Warriors. You all may still treat me like a child, but I’m not one to run away from a fight.”

It was Twilight who began to speak. “Wind—”

“Stop! You’re just a coward! I don’t want to hear from you again!”

His eyes burned. Wind turned his back towards the three and wrapped his arms around him. The world around him cold, chilling to his very core. The only comfort of warmth is Warriors’s hand on his shoulder, squeezing tenderly.

“I don’t want to hear from you again…”

Wind shrugged Warriors off and walked towards the river, away from everyone behind him. He heard the sounds of a horse strolling through the dirt path and the rider calling out to pass. Looking back, Wind saw the horse and its rider cutting through, separating Warriors from the others like a knife.

But Wind shook his head. He ignored Twilight’s calls. He ignored Warriors. All he had in mind was the river, watching the reflection of his large, dark eyes glancing back at him.

All that he saw was not a hero, but a child. A child torn from his family.

“Legend… I just want you back. It hasn’t been the same without you.”

Wind had heard about what the Shrine of Resurrection could do. How Wild had lost his memory, after a long sleep of one hundred years.

Wind prayed to the goddesses. Even though they were the same goddesses that flooded the land of Hyrule, they also were the ones that created his home—the Great Sea.

Even if Legend didn’t return the same, he was still the Hero of Legend. Wind’s friend. His comrade. His brother.

His entire world was splitting apart. Their once-tight group turned into little islands, spread far apart in the vast ocean of distrust.

* * *

_Sleepers wake_

_Dreams will fade_

_Although we cling fast…_

_Was it real…_

_Was it real…_

_Was it…_

_Real…?_

* * *

“Is there any way to save him faster?”

“I’m not sure. But given that your resurrection was a success, I can only guarantee that he can be saved. His injuries don’t seem to be as bad as yours did.”

“Purah. We cannot wait another one hundred years.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

* * *

Sky begrudgingly woke up. Heavy eyelids lifted, opening the doors to the ever-growing darkness of the night. Night? When did it get dark? He looked around, still in the confines of the bed within the stable.

Only Hyrule laid sleeping in the bed next to him, Sky quickly realized. There were other people too, including this era’s Beedle laying down on the stable’s floor. The other Links were still gone, however. Worry clutched Sky’s heart. What if something happened to the others while he had slept? Did he wake up too late?

The rain battered the ground outside. Sky clutched his Master Sword, which hummed with a gentle light and chimed softly, the spirit within caressing him as a mother would to a child. Although Fi’s chimes comforted him, it wasn’t until the appearance of two silhouettes that relieved him, revealing themselves from the shadows of the storm.

Warriors and Wind walked in, soaking and the water dripping into the floor. Wind held onto Warriors’s scarf, wrapped around his shoulders. The young boy had been crying. His face reddened and eyes bloodshot from his tears.

Warriors hadn’t been faring much better. A permanent frown wrinkled on his face. The captain wrapped his arm tightly around the boy’s shoulder, shaking as if afraid to let him go. The sailor not bothering to hide his limp anymore. Sky too noticed the marks of tears in the older hero’s face, less pronounced but still evident.

Sky was about to open his mouth until the captain locked eyes with him, features still tensed. Sky kept quiet, watching as Warriors sat down in the back of the stable with Wind beside him. Warriors leaned towards Wind, nesting the sailor into the comfort of his brother-in-arms.

The relief that came with Warriors’s and Wind’s arrival was washed away when none of the others joined to the safety of the stable’s shelter.

 _Maybe the others are looking for Wild,_ Sky thought. _Twilight knows him best._

The way Warriors had talked to Twilight earlier in the morning worried him though. Although Sky hadn’t heard the exact words spoken, the captain’s tone was enough to set him off. He just hoped that there wasn’t bad blood between the two. Or that anything happened to the others.

The hero from the sky let out a frustrated sigh. He himself didn’t fare any better either. The gash from an arrow he got in his shoulder burned. His limbs had felt as stiff as stone by the time the group arrived at the stable, but with a quick swing of his arms and legs Sky knew he was recovering in that aspect.

So Sky stood up, putting the Master Sword and his sailcloth on his back. He was about to step out of the stable when Warriors called out.

“Don’t.”

The captain’s voice rasped. He took a glance at Wind, now sleeping. “We will explain later tonight.”

Sky frowned. He walked towards the young hero, who now rested on the captain. Sky offered the boy his sailcloth as a blanket. “He needs it more than I do,” Sky said.

The captain smiled. But the hurt never left his eyes.

“Guys? What’s going on?”

Hyrule lifted himself on his elbows, watching the trio with tired but curious eyes. “Sky? Warriors?”

Warriors lifted a finger to his lips, shushing Hyrule. “Let’s not disturb Wind,” he whispered. He delicately removed himself from the child, using his scarf as a pillow for Wind against the cold hard floor. Wind shifted, grasping Sky’s sailcloth closer onto his heart. The grasp of a tender, familiar love keeping him safe from the darkness of sadness and loneliness.

It was a grasp that many of them tended to lack, Sky realized. He himself having lost his family. Zelda was one of the few comforts he had… He hoped that he could pass it on to Wind, even if he didn’t know what had happened…

Sky went to grab his pillow and put it under Wind’s head. Warriors caressed the younger boy’s hair, making sure Wind ended up still asleep, only releasing it after a moment of silence.

* * *

“Purah, can you give an estimate?”

“The best I can give is a year, maybe two.”

“A _year?_ Purah! We still can’t wait that long!”

“I’m sorry, Linky. I wish I could do more. All we can do now is activate the Slumber of Restoration.”

* * *

_Stay with me…_

_By my side…_

_Never leave…_

_Stay with me…_

* * *

Wild didn’t know how long it took between putting Legend in the chamber and having Purah activate it, but he looked up to the sky’s paling lights slicing through the dark clouds, hinting a rising sun as he approached the Riverside Stable.

It was the dawn of a new day.

Wild went straight to the river and put his dark cloak into the water, rubbing away the dark red stains that covered it. He kept rubbing it and rubbing, but the blood didn’t seem to wash away.

He continued as he heard voices behind him. Wild’s eyes immediately landed on the three people talking to one another. There was no mistake in the green clothes each of them wore, nor their faces as the three turned to the new arrival.

“Wild, is that you?”

It was Warriors calling him, along with Sky and Hyrule beside him. Wild pulled his cloak and ran towards them, a tired smile barely reaching up to his eyes.

“Hey, guys. How has everyone been?”

Silence met him. The trio shifted awkward glances among themselves. Wild’s soft smile weighed into a heavy frown. “Guys, what’s wrong?”

“It-it’s nothing,” Hyrule said. “What happened with your cloak?”

A sigh. “It’s nothing. I’ll just buy a new one.”

The Hylian cloak Wild held in his hands was ruined, but replaceable. What worried him more were Warriors’s lack of his blue scarf and Sky’s sailcloth, something that each of them held very dear to their hearts.

Wild bit his tongue, cursing at himself for not buying another cloak during his brief stay at Kakariko Village.

The captain's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Come. I have a lot to tell you. Things happened while you were gone."

Wild, Sky, and Hyrule all followed the captain's orders. Led away from the stable, the champion quickly realized. They walked up towards a little hill where three lone trees awaited them, overlooking the crossroad.

The blue-clad hero dared to speak. "Do the others know?"

"That's what I'm going to explain."

The worried looks shared between Hyrule and Sky concerned Wild too. It seemed that only the captain knew the full story. The champion knew none.

The captain crossed his arms, shifting a glance among the other three. "As you may have noticed from our previous encounters with monsters, a certain someone kept disappearing on us."

Wild stiffened. The captain couldn't be talking about Twilight, could he? The others shook their heads, seemingly confused at the question.

"You haven't noticed?"

"I'd think we'd focus more on our enemies," Sky replied. "Unless someone was hurt."

Hyrule nodded along. Wild said nothing, clenching his jaw.

"Well... I'm afraid to say I did. And it's happened again and again."

Hyrule asked, his voice small. "Warriors, what are you saying?"

"The reason why Twilight is gone," Warriors spat the name out like venom, "is because he's a traitor. Time and Four are too. They're no longer with us."

Wild resisted the urge to flinch, his body calling back to the long-gone as a knight. But his hands clenched, his nails pressing onto his gauntlet. It took all of his previous training and willpower to not let his arm shake, becoming as stiff as stone.

"I... I guess that makes sense."

Wild whipped his eyes towards Hyrule, who suddenly flinched at the champion's glare.

"I mean..." Hyrule started, avoiding looking at the champion's eyes. "I have always felt something off about him... this... dark aura. Some kind of dark magic.

"I never thought I'd have to say this, but it scares me. It just reminds me too much—of Ganon's spies in disguise."

"I understand, but..."

Sky trailed off. His eyes didn't meet any of the heroes, instead opting to look up at an open gap in the clouds where light shone through the sky. "I think," he whispered, "I think that none of them are bad people.

"What Twilight did was wrong," Sky spoke louder, eyes landing on Warriors. "But he's still one of us. Time and Four are also among us. Fi wouldn't have allowed them to touch her if they were as bad as you say." Sky took a deep breath. "I don't claim to know what happened, but I do know that Twilight is a chosen hero. Just like the rest of us."

 _He’s done a lot more for us than you think, Captain._ Wild didn’t care about the venom seeping through his mind, but the captain’s worried expression showed that it leaked through his ferocious eyes.

“Wild?” Sky’s softness caught him off-guard. “What happened to your Sheikah Slate? You don’t leave that behind.”

Wild reached out to his belt, grasping at the cold air where the slate used to be. “Right,” he whispered. “I had to leave it behind to get the Shrine of Resurrection to work. Legend—” The others flinched at the name. _“Legend_ is now recovering in the chamber.” Wild looked at his hand, wearing some of the several rings Legend used to wear.

“I had Impa fix his tunic,” Wild said absentmindedly, playing with a ring that didn’t quite fit his finger. “His clothes are in the shrine with him. I kept his jewelry. I’m not sure what kind of power they hold, but they must be powerful if he kept them on all the time.” His mind brought him to Legend's necklace now hanging on his neck, each medallion seeping with strong power he could only call as magic.

Wild glared at Warriors before the captain opened his mouth. “And as for how I know, you see these earrings?” he pointed at his scarred ear, revealing an earring with orange stones. “These earrings are imbued with topaz, specifically crafted to bring defensive qualities to the wearer. Jewelry can do a lot for us, Warriors.”

“I know, but what about the shrine?” Warriors asked. “It won’t take a hundred years, will it?”

“No.” Wild smiled. “That’s the good news. Purah now estimates a year or two at most based on her research since…well….”

He trailed off. Although Wild had told them of his experiences with the shrine, it was one no one ever wanted to tread ever again.

“That’s still too long.”

Wild snapped to him. “What do you mean, Captain?”

“We can’t remain here waiting just for him.”

Wild was about to retort then snapped his mouth shut, facing the wilderness that governed his homeland for the past one hundred years.

Two years didn’t seem much, but…

“We’ll be giving the shadow more than enough time to find what it’s searching for. It could spell doom to all history of Hyrule.”

There it was: the captain spelling out the issues. Consequences that hurt Wild to think about. He snarled at himself, for caring his friend more than the land that made his home.

“Warriors is right,” the traveler whispered. “We don’t want the shadow to destroy Hyrule. You guys know what happened to my homeland—I don’t want that for you guys too.”

Wild turned to the goddess’s chosen hero. Sky had his eyes closed, deep in thought. His face tightened and hands clenched. Everyone waited for him to speak his mind. Only a breeze passed by, ruffling through his hair.

“No.” His voice was as soft as the breeze.

“Come again?” the captain called out.

“We can’t leave him—or anyone—behind,” Sky said, straightening himself up to Warriors’s eye level.

Wild had forgotten how serious Sky could be. The soft, aloof Sky who dreamed of his world in the sky and his sweet sunshine was gone, replaced by a warrior who knew what was at stake and fought for his beliefs. This was Hylia’s chosen hero.

“He’s an integral part of our destiny just as the rest of us,” Sky continued, bearing the voice of a leader. A _hero_. “We all must be together in this. Hyrule depends on all of us, and that includes the others.”

The others. Wild frowned at how Sky avoided their names. Twilight, Time, and Four were still out there… somewhere in the fields. But he hadn’t heard about the young sailor at all.

“Wait, where’s Wind?” Wild asked.

Warriors answered him. Wind remained in the stable, still very upset about Twilight’s disappearances during battle. Now Wind wanted to be alone until he winded down, as he wouldn’t be happy seeing Twilight again after the outburst he had.

Hyrule and Sky shared glances. It appeared neither of them knew about Wind either. Or perhaps they did and were still concerned. Wild wasn’t sure—he was known for being out of the loop. Memory loss plus being gone from the world for a hundred years did affect things after all.

“Captain, promise me something.” Wild turned Warriors. “Promise that we’ll check on Legend whenever we’re back at my Hyrule, just in case he wakes up early. There will be no one to guide him.”

Warriors lifted his hand and nodded, not speaking a word.

“I’ll go find the others,” Wild said, not sharing his glance at the others. “I don’t care what everyone else thinks. I just need to make sure they’re safe.” _My Hyrule. My responsibility._

The only voice of agreement came from Sky: “Please do.”

Wild threw his cloak and went off. It was all he needed. He ran his way towards the Whistling Hill, whistling halfway through the field, praying that Twilight would answer his call and teleport to his side as Wolfie. Or have Twilight guide Time and Four to his side.

He tried again as he reached the top of the hill, under the shade of trees. He climbed to the top of the larger tree. It was one of those moments he wished he still had his slate, its scope too useful to scan over the area. Now he had to rely on just his sight, just as long as the others didn't wander too far away...

Just running down the hill awaited a group of wild horses, grazing the grass and looking around, wary of potential predators and people—such as him. Wild spotted among them a spotted horse along solid-colored. He jumped off the tree and paraglided his way to the spotted horse's back.

The startled horse ran as soon as Wild landed on it. He knew the gentler horses weren't known for their speed, but he didn't want to spend time trying to tame a horse only for him to fall off and run away. By then it'd be too late.

He couldn't spend time while the others were possibly at risk.

He guided the horse onto the road, soothing it as it followed his direction. Wild traveled his way around Hyrule field, whistling and calling out everyone's names.

_Where could they be?_

Wild stuck himself back to the roads, perhaps another traveler may have seen a group of three armed people. He followed the road up north towards Hyrule Castle, past the ranch ruins leading to Mabe Prairie.

He whistled again at the crossroad. Still no response. Wild turned around, leading the horse back to the stable.

But somewhere along the path he heard howling. Wild gasped, he didn't recall any Maraudo wolves in the vicinity. It could only mean one thing...

_Twi!_

Wild followed the howling, pushing his horse to its maximum speed as it galloped through the greens. Straight towards the ranch ruins.

Twilight, Time, and Four had already bested the Guardian, but were struggling to aim at the horse-riding Bokoblins galloping around them while also avoiding harming the horses themselves.

_Focus..._

Wild jumped off his horse, bow and arrow at the ready he aimed straight at the Bokoblins' heads.

"Wild!"

Now with everyone on the ground, Wild unsheathed his sword and shield and joined the others in the onslaught, killing off the Bokoblins, drawing off their blood into their swords.

And since said Bokoblins were as tough as stone... it took no time for his sword to break as well.

Just as the group were to take a breather, three large blue Chuchus popped from the ground, which Wild quickly got rid of with his arrows. The group still tensed, waiting for a few moments of absolute silence before finally relaxing.

Twilight shifted back to his normal form, joining Time's and Four's side. The champion turned to them, seeing the sadness in the eyes of each one of them.

"Guys, what happened?" the champion whispered. "I've been looking for you."

"Has Warriors told you?"

Wild didn't flinch at the bite in Twilight's voice. "What he has told me doesn't matter," he replied. "We all need you back."

No one responded. Wild was about to speak again when his eyes landed on Time. The old man had his eye fixated on the area around him. Centered on the ruins and decay of a past long gone.

"Wild, tell me," his voice weighed with sadness. "Tell me about this place."

The champion looked around. Broken fences, broken signs, broken buildings and structures. Shared with wandering horses and trees sprouted around. By this time it was nothing but remnants of a long-forgotten and shattered past, of a ranch which once burst of life and song of a young red-haired woman and her hard-working knight of a husband.

This was Lon Lon Ranch. Time's legacy. Gone.

And they all were standing in the middle of it.

Wild didn't answer him, opting on instead focusing to bring them back to the stable.

"Wild, they don't want us back."

"Then why don't you reveal your secret, Twilight?" Wild asked, but his mentor looked away. "They'll understand! You're no traitor!" Four flinched at the word, suddenly turning his head away. Wild growled and then continued, "I didn't come here just to leave you guys alone! We all need to be together in this! Don't make me drag you all back on a horse."

* * *

It all ended up to Warriors. As soon as the group reunited they set out together to search for the shadow, traveling through the different Hyrules in search of the cause of their meeting. It hadn’t been the same, he realized, since his brother-in-arms was gone.

Time, Four, Wild, and the traitor all backed away from him, setting out their own little circle within the larger group of heroes. Wind and Hyrule set out with Warriors, avoiding their glances towards the others. They were now part of this other divided section.

Wind kept his word, Warriors also realized. The young sailor did everything to avoid meeting the ranch hand, including turning his back on him and hiding behind some large object. He was painstakingly playing a game of hide-and-seek that never ended. The ranch hand eventually gave up.

It went like this for several weeks, with no signs of improvement from either side. All Warriors could do was command his team during battle, but it all dispersed as soon as they reached a moment of rest.

They were now at the Great Plateau of Wild’s Hyrule, after a long and arduous time of nothing but silence and tension among the group. Sky being the only link and mediator between them.

The group waited at the cliff right outside the Shrine of Resurrection for a few days, just as Wild wanted.

One day, the traitor disappeared once again. Wild’s wolf came back on a visit, turning to Wind’s side, whining as if he had noticed the boy’s sadness. There was something special about the wolf, Warriors thought, too aware and understanding of a person’s emotions.

Wind sat down with the wolf, laying on the animal like a pillow. “Wolfie,” he whispered, loud enough for Warriors to hear. “I miss Legend.”

The wolf whined in response. As if he, too, missed him.

Wind petted the wolf, closing his eyes as he remained laying his head on the wolf’s pelt. Sky joined in, caressing the young boy’s head and muttering some precious comforting words, once again leaving his sailcloth on the boy.

“Don’t ruin it, okay?” Sky said to the wolf. “This is very precious to me.”

The wolf nodded as Sky left. It was as if he, too, understood its significance.

Warriors stood up from his spot and approached Wind, reaching his hand out. The wolf tensed. Growling at Warriors.

“W-Wolfie?” Wind asked, opening his eyes. “What’s wrong?” The sailor turned to meet eye-to-eye with the captain, ignoring the sailcloth imposed upon him. “Warriors? Wolfie, what’s wrong? He’s not bad.”

“The captain has done something to make Wolfie upset.”

Warriors turned to Wild. The champion had his eyes on his cooking pot, stirring up some kind of stew. “Wolfie knows,” Wild said, still stirring the stew. “He knows.”

“Wild? What are you implying?” Warriors asked.

“Dinner’s ready.”

Wild served and passed two bowls of the stew to Warriors. Warriors narrowed his eyes at the champion, but then he passed a bowl to Wind. He sat down and began to eat, sipping and chewing his stew while Wild served the others, even offering a bowl to the wolf.

“Wild?” Said champion turned to the captain. “How did you meet that wolf?”

“You mean Wolfie?” He gave one of those rare genuine smiles. “He’s been with me for as long as I can remember. I wish I could tell you more.”

After everyone ate their dinner it was call time for watch duty. Warriors volunteered for the last watch, ending at the break of dawn.

When it was time, Warriors watched straight to the shrine’s opening, keeping a keen eye in case _someone_ showed up from it. And no, he didn’t mean Twilight who came back from his patrol after the wolf left. Otherwise it was an uneventful night, safe from the monsters that plagued the area. But Warriors had to keep his eyes peeled open, praying for _his_ return.

Just as the sun started to rise, tremors shook up the cliff underneath them. The other Links woke up startled, their weapons drawn as they expected some kind of large monster popping out from the ground.

All except Wild.

“It’s too soon,” he whispered, approaching the cave. He spoke again, his voice hopeful. “Guys!”

Warriors followed him. The champion whirled to him, smiling as if he knew all what it all meant. “Warriors, everyone, put away your weapons. He’s here. He’s awake.”

The captain sheathed his sword and shield, gasping as a silhouette appeared within the cave's shadows. Adorned with the green-and-red tunic and blue cap stood a figure, appearing just as healthy as Warriors last remembered. The vibrant blue eyes and his blond hair with the pink that Warriors won’t stop teasing him about. _He was back!_

His heart shattered as his brother uttered those dreadful words.

“Who are you?”


	5. What We Saw

_“Who are you?”_

Such was the cruel flow of time. The Hero of Time knew as soon as he lay eyes on the ruins of what his home would become. The champion’s silence spoke volumes, but he didn’t dwell on it. It was fate. One the ranch couldn’t escape. Not after thousands of years.

What was cruel was Legend’s fate. One that could have been avoided by choice, had he stayed behind with the traveler and not chased after the shadow. But the heart of the hero spoke to him like a mantra: to end the threat before the land of Hyrule suffered the consequences.

But such heart led to the death of a hero and the arduous three months that followed. Time had been counting the days despite the mess that was time travel. Ninety-three days, he counted, thirty-one three-day cycles. Every three days Time feared that the group would snap, crash like the moon that once loomed over the land of Termina. Although he didn’t voice it, he knew of the ever-present threat that hung over the already-fragile group. If there was one thing he hated it was how a brother’s fall shattered the group apart.

Legend’s words cut through everyone’s hearts. Time had been expecting it given Wild’s experience, but it didn’t make it any less cruel. There was something different this time, different from Wild’s—the group met him not as _Link_ , the knight from one hundred years ago, but as _Wild_ , the hero who saved Hyrule despite the loss of his memory.

It wasn’t the same with Legend. They lost the Legend before his downfall. The Legend who shared memories with the rest of the group, even as someone as defensive and defiant as him. That Legend? _Gone_.

Unlike Wild, they’re now facing the shell of a former friend. A brother gone.

And the oldest hero had experienced that look again and again. That look—that lack of recognition in those blue eyes was all familiar to Time. The rewind of time itself—to a time before all those people met him and knew him for who he was. Hyrule and Termina shared the cruelty.

He once played the Song of Time on the ocarina, prayed to the Goddess of Time to undo the Hero of Legend’s fall. She denied his call. All he could do now was follow the time’s turbulent stream.

Yet time defied expectations once again. One-to-two years, Wild had said. Whether they ended up in Wild’s Hyrule after that gap of time or they returned to the ninety-three days after his fall Time wasn’t sure.

All he knew now was the aftermath of it all.

_“Leg—You’re kidding me. Right, buddy? Are you just playing with me?”_

The captain looked at him with pleading eyes, begging him, hoping to tell him it was some sort of joke. A game.

_“No, seriously. Who are you?”  
_

* * *

He couldn’t believe it. He just couldn’t. He couldn’t. _He couldn’t._

The burden on his shoulders broke Warriors down to his knees. The weight of the words crashed him like his ball and chain. Spikes stabbed through his heart and mind. Words he’d never hope to hear uttered from anyone.

Certainly not from Legend. Not his brother.

His hands caught onto Legend, grasping them tightly as a lifeline. Legend’s physical form was the only thing keeping him grounded to the reality of this cruel world.

The others called his name, warped through the mists and screams of his mind. He could barely feel the pats and rubs on his back. He barely saw the others kneeling beside him, appearing as nothing but blurs in the corners of his eyes.

Warriors closed them. The very core of his being shattered, escaping through as tears streaked down his face. “I—” he gulped. “I-I can’t believe it.” He grasped the shoulders tighter. “Not you—I wish it wasn’t you.”

Warriors’s voice wavered as he continued, speaking between shaking breaths. “P-please tell me. T-ell me you-you r-remember your name.”

The long pause spoke its answer.Warriors lifted his head, eyes meeting Legend’s mouth opening, only voicing the silence of his mind. When Legend snapped back to the world he shook his head.

_No. No. Goddesses no._

“Link.”

Wild’s voice was soft and gentle. The captain’s and the amnesiac’s eyes shifted to the champion, whose scars became more prevalent in the streaking sunlight shining on his face, their roughness contrasting his voice.

“Are you talking to me?” Legend’s voice was soft, too. Lacked of the usual bitterness and snark that made him _Legend_.

“Yes, Link. Your name is Link.” Wild gave a sad smile. “I’m sorry. I might have been able to save your life, but not your memories.”

“What happened to me?”

Warriors snapped. He snapped to his feet, swirled around—began to walk away, shoving off Hyrule and Sky who were behind him. Gasps from the others escaped through their lips, but Warriors ignored them as he followed the trail back to the camp, leaving them behind to face the reality drawn behind his back.

He passed by Time, who hung in the sidelines watching the other heroes, His hawk-like eye focused on the vulnerable hero.

“War—”

“Save up your sympathy, old man,” Warriors snarled, backed with the bark of a ferocious wolf.

 _Although I appreciate it, if that’s what your intention is._ A faded whisper echoed in the depths of his mind, pushed away by the doubt overshadowing his thoughts.

“Wait!”

Warriors felt the tug on his tunic, freezing him on his feet. The hand webbed him like a Skulltula from Sky’s era, sticking him in the shambles of the shards within his soul.

“Tell me you’re playing with me!” Warriors screamed to the world on his back. His eyes met not the hardened iced blue eyes of a veteran, but soft of a child who knew nothing of the hardships of a hero. Broken. Scolded. A young boy who did nothing but still be wronged by the goddesses.

Now Warriors was unleashing all of his anger onto his innocent brother. A brother who was a victim to this cruel fate.

“I’m so sorry,” Warriors whispered. “I’m so sorry, Leg— _Link._ ”

Warriors bit his tongue. To hear himself utter that accursed name of the hero twisted his stomach to a knot. Warriors once bore the name of Link like a badge, as a mark that he was a true hero destined to save Hyrule, passed down as a legend. Invincible because of his destiny.

But Cia’s obsession seeded this doubt within him. Now he couldn't listen to his name without a prickle stabbing through his shell. The mark of a hero was a cruel necessity that shouldn’t exist. Like war. Children such as the young Link he met during the war and Wind shouldn’t have carried the burden that he wouldn’t even dare bring to an adult.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

Legend, too, belonged in that group, Warriors realized. Those eyes carried the soul exposed from the shells Legend carried behind his snarky attitude. The broken walls revealed a child. A kind soul.

_How old were you?_

Everyone waited for his next calculated move. Warriors worked best in the tactics of battle, where he had a clear cut-and-dry look at enemies’ movements and react accordingly.

He didn’t react well to inner emotions. They were harder to see—harder to predict.

“I can’t promise you,” Warriors finally said, weighing on each word. “I can’t promise I’ll tell you what happened. I didn’t see the entire thing.” He nodded towards the scarred, blue-clad knight. “Bring those questions to him. He saw everything, I believe. It’s best for you two to talk it out.” He nodded back to the others. “Let’s give them a moment.”

Sky, Hyrule, and Wind parted their ways, leaving the two amnesiacs on their own. Wild patted on Legend’s shoulder, guiding him back towards the entrance of the Shrine of Resurrection… where it all began.

Warriors trusted Wild enough since they shared the same experience with the shrine. The champion trusted the others from day one, spilling his entire life story whereas the others concealed their deepest secrets.

Legend concealed them too, Warriors had to admit. Legend barely mentioned anything about his journeys, only willingly speaking the most about his first where it all started. He gave hints of his later adventures, saving neighboring lands and training to become a better hero overseas. Never as detailed as his adventure in Hyrule, but enough to show that he had gone through more adventures than anyone else. Warriors started to call him a veteran—he was one.

But Legend always hung up at the mention of a sea. How his jaw clenched suddenly as soon as he spoke of the dreaded word. Warriors noticed it all—the distant eyes as Legend looked past the shores of Wind’s Great Sea. The flinching yet with strange affinity as he heard the cries of a seagull. The delicate touch when he felt the hibiscus flower, fragile as sand crumbling beneath his fingers.

Warriors hadn’t missed out when Legend shot his arrow with an outstanding accuracy—even outmatching their best archer—piercing Wild’s arrow that had aimed at a seagull.

 _“Don’t you even dare hunt or hurt any seagulls_.”

Legend never spoke of it at all, but Warriors knew that it all held deep meaning in his heart—just now he wished he knew what it was. His one regret… now that Legend’s memory was gone.

“Captain? Wars? Are you okay?”

Warriors sighed. The little sailor waved in front of his face, bringing back from his thoughts. “Yes,” he said. “Let’s go, there isn’t much we can do.”

Warriors grasped Wind’s hand, squeezing it tightly beneath his fingers. Afraid… afraid that Wind would crumble away like sand—that this was a dream. Or rather, he _wished_ it was a dream.

* * *

“I’m sorry Warriors reacted this way,” Wild said.

“Warriors?”

“The one with the blue scarf.”

“I mean, is that _really_ what he’s called?”

Wild shrugged. “You’d have to ask him. That’s what he goes by—Wait! Careful.” He pulled Legend back before he stepped into the air. Wild jumped off the cliff leading down into the depths of the shrine, noticing a crate waiting beside it. “You used that to climb up? Smart.”

“It took forever to get it here.”

“Not so smart then. I just climbed it myself.”

Legend hopped back down through the crate he used as support. Annoyance written on his face, masked by curiosity. “Never mind that. What is this place?”

“Welcome to the Shrine of Resurrection.”

The two ran to the bottom of the stairs. Despite the familiarity posed by the technological walls of the shrine, the champion noted a wave of strangeness in his surroundings. The star-like orbs of lights scattered throughout the walls lost their orange shine. The blue lamps and the blue ceiling overhead dimmed, darkening the underground chamber further. The pedestal that guarded the door and the Travel Gate also lost their blue light completely.

“What happened here?” Wild wondered aloud. “Link, pass me the Sheikah Slate.”

He reached out his hand. Fear shined in Legend’s eyes, his fingers hovering over the slate hanging on his belt, debating in his mind. Yet within that fear there was that spark of familiarity, at least Wild hoped.

“Before I do, may I ask who you are?”

“They call me Wild,” the champion replied. “We all use nicknames—we prefer this way.”

“Is Link mine?”

Wild laughed. Right, Link _was_ a word, the connection between different factors. “I guess you can say you’re a link in this linked universe.” He grinned. “But seriously, that’s your real name.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. We _do_ have a nickname for you, though,” Wild continued. “But I think you should stick with your name for now. It doesn’t sound much but it will help with your memory loss.”

Still, Legend showed reluctance in the champion’s words, shifting on his feet before finally deciding, giving Wild back the slate. “Here.”

“Thanks.” Wild opened the map in his Sheikah Slate, gasping at the lack of a certain icon centered immediately upon the map, among other things.

First, Shrine of Resurrection was completely missing from the map. And second, the date shown on the slate contradicted Purah’s words. It’s been only about three months, nothing like the years Purah estimated or what Wild went through. It took only mere _months_.

Wild rushed inside into the main chamber of the facility. A gasp escaped as his eyes landed at the heart of the shrine, all blackened out from its light. Wild borrowed the little light he had from the slate to illuminate the room. “Was it like this when you woke up?” he asked.

Legend shook his head. “But I felt tremors when I was about to climb up.”

“Tremors? An explosion?” Wild approached the pedestal within the chamber, wondering if something had happened with the divine beast underground. Just like the pedestal outside, this one lacked its light, as if it was made of nothing but regular brown stone. Inserting the slate into the pedestal resulted in… static silence.

“A shortage?” _Is there an ancient furnace somewhere?_

“Look.”

Wild turned to see Legend bringing him an item clasped in his hand. Upon closer inspection the champion saw a flower—a pale pink flower wilted of its life, its long stigma sticking out beyond its wrinkled petals.

“I think I’ve seen that flower before,” Wild commented, taking it from Legend. Within his fingers he felt the dryness of the flower, limp and dead in his hand. “But Lurelin is too far from here. Did I miss it somehow?” He gave the flower back to Legend. “Keep this. It might help you later.”

* * *

_You don't know the proper etiquette when dealing with a lady, do you? You should have brought flowers or something, then I might be more inclined to talk with you... Oh yes, in my case, hibiscus are best..._

_Hibiscus? A lady? Do I have a lady?  
_

* * *

“It will take time for all of us to recover, pup.”

Twilight nodded. He and Time sat down on a log on their way down from the cliff, their backs facing the abandoned scorched wood once used for a campfire. Twilight's eyes spaced towards the grand Temple of Time looming in the distance, overlooking the ruins of destroyed buildings. Ruins of a golden age long gone—something his heart knew all too well with the shatter of a mirror and memories of a dear friend vanishing from her mind.

He pulled out Ilia's charm, the horse call shaped like a horseshoe intended for him as a gift before the start of his journey, only for Illia and the village children to be kidnapped by the Bublins. He clasped it tightly within his fist.

First Ilia, then Wild, now Legend. Twilight was no stranger to amnesia—all held by people close to him. Yes, even Legend… Twilight had never liked the bluntness and snark remarked out of his voice, pushing others around akin to a bully.

 _“I don't know what his problem is,”_ Twilight had told Sky one day, after witnessing Legend's remarks around the Skyloftian hero. “ _But you shouldn't let him push you around like that.”_

 _“Oh, it's fine,”_ Sky had replied, his face was still as bright, never been affected by such bitter words. “ _It's harmless. He just doesn't give a second thought about his attitude is all. Trust me, people like him aren't bullies.”_

 _“Hmm…_ ” Twilight thought about it. How despite his attitude he had the heart of a hero as much as everyone else. They even became friends.

_“That's very true.”_

Twilight jolted from the sudden grasp on his shoulder, stopping short of drawing his sword when his eyes met the deep eye of his mentor.

"Whatever you're thinking, know that it's not your fault. We couldn't have predicted it would turn out this way."

"I know," Twilight replied. "But I can't help but feel partly responsible. I should have gone to them sooner. Then we—”

Time's grasp tightened. “We cannot undo what has been done.” Then he spoke with a growl buried beneath his words, “It’s up to the goddesses to decide. Fate hasn't been kind to us."

"Yet we keep going anyway."

His cub. The survivalist of the calamity… how he kept going despite the memory lost. Twilight had seen the doubts within him—of him becoming the next hero after his own defeat. But he persevered. Wild persevered. And Twilight couldn’t be any prouder.

If only Wild himself wasn’t stuck fighting the demons of his past.

_“You know, I get these memories and… I can see how unlike him I am.”_

_“Him?_ ” Twilight had asked. Wild had answered him: _Himself._

_“It was like I had brought shame upon the Hero’s title. The sword judged me unworthy compared to the gifted child before. I had to prove myself after my humiliating failure.”_

Wild had spoken of his frustrations. How different he was. How unfit he was. How he had to train all over to regain just a fraction of his former self. With no recollection of it all.

Twilight’s mind flashed to Ilia. Her confusion broke his heart, unable to recognize him as anyone more than a stranger.

_“I have a friend who went through something like this, lost memories and all.”_

_“Really?”_

_“As much as we all want to help, you need someone who knows your past… who knows who you were. Someone who was part of it.”_

Twilight sighed. Did Legend have anyone like that? Would his Zelda help him restore his memories just as Wild’s Zelda helped with his? Until they go back to Legend’s Hyrule they wouldn’t know for sure.

“I hope we can help Legend.”

“I do too, pup.”

The air hung heavily around them. Twilight straightened his back, the pressure of the vapor clogging the warmth on his skin. The blue sky had sparse clouds, far and few in between, but the clearness misled Hylian eyes. “It’s going to rain soon,” Twilight said.

Time nodded.

The two sat in a long moment of silence, enjoying the view of a place once glorious to the kingdom of Hyrule but also thriving with growth in its place. The wilderness clasped the stones in its vines, merging them with the landscape of the Great Plateau.

This was the land the Hero of the Wild called home—not just his house back in Hateno.

Twilight and Time turned around. Footsteps alternating between stepping hard stone and cushioned grass caught their attention, belonging to the hero from the sky. Sky’s clouded eyes and somber lips alerted them.

“The captain needs you.” Sky nodded towards Twilight.“Something happened with the shrine.”

“Are Wild and Legend alright?” Twilight and his mentor jumped to their feet, ignoring the wave of vertigo shooting up through their bodies.

“They’re okay. The captain thinks you might know something about it.”

“And he’s trusting me with this?” Twilight asked.

Sky shrugged. “He wanted me to come with you. Just in case…. Just know I hold no grudge towards you.”

“I know,” Twilight said. Frowning, he followed up the steps back where Warriors awaited him. A glare fit of a hawk greeted him—ready to judge every move.

Sky walked beside Twilight, patting the wolf-clad hunter’s back and gave him a comforting smile. “It’ll be alright,” he said.

Twilight smiled back. The only other comfort he had was of his mentor and leader’s footsteps following his back, protecting him.

 _I wonder what the wild child is up to._ Twilight recalled that one day… where he chased after the wild child as a wolf for stealing the Ordon sword and shield. He was at the tail’s end when said child climbed up a tree, mocking at Twilight.

_“Hey, Twi! Good luck climbing this tree with your four paws!”_

Twilight had growled. He immediately shifted back to his human form, putting a hand on the tree when a voice called them from the distance.

_‘What’s going on here?”_

The captain marched into view, glaring at the heroes, caught as if they were thieving from the people.

_“Hey, Warriors! Did you see it?”_

_“See what?”_

Twilight didn’t miss the pout drawn on the wild child’s face. _“Never mind,”_ Wild muttered. “ _The wolf ran away.”_

Realization dawned on him. Twilight had been so focused on Wild’s antics back then to notice at first. But there was no mistaking it now.

 _What were you thinking, Wild?!_ Twilight screamed in his mind as he met eye-to-eye with the captain back on the top of the cliff. _You almost revealed my secret!  
_

* * *

Sky hated the tensions that rose among everyone in the group, especially with a member as vulnerable as Legend. The young boy (Sky didn’t have the heart to call him a hero or veteran anymore) crawled out of the shrine’s mouth once again with no sign of Wild by his side.

“Wild went to get people,” Legend explained. “He said they might be able to figure out what went wrong.”

The next few moments lay a tense silence of exasperation and waiting. Worries and terrible thoughts brought up about the shrine… how Legend…. Sky lay too restless, unable to grasp a moment of rest as his mind wandered to the young boy standing beside him, unsure of the division of the groups among their larger “family.”

The animosity between Warriors and Twilight became apparent as soon as they locked their eyes. Sky had to step in, convincing the captain that Twilight didn’t need anyone watching over his every move. The captain’s sigh gave out his frustration, but nonetheless allowed Twilight to go alone.

“If you try anything funny you’re out of here. Is that clear?”

It then quickly faded as the two shifted away, with Twilight investigating the shrine, having experience alongside the champion of the intricacies of this wild Hyrule. The captain, in his exasperation, joined with the others.

“We’re not moving until the champion comes back. I don’t need anyone else out of my sight.”

“Is this really necessary?” the Skyloftian asked. “We—”

“Whose side are you on, Sky?!”

Sky didn’t answer, opting instead to glance at the Master Sword resting on his back. Fi’s whispers calmed the nerves bursting within him.

“You should know by now, Hero of Souls.”

Sky turned back and walked past the confused amnesiac, giving him a soft smile. “Don’t mind them. They need time is all.”

Sky sat down by one of the steps still unscathed from time. It didn’t matter if he was alone in this conflict. But he wasn’t. Soft footsteps followed along.

“Come here,” Sky offered, patting the grass beside him. “I promise, I won’t bite.”

Legend shifted his glance between the three groups, consisting of Time and Four; Hyrule, Wind, and Warriors; and Sky sitting by himself down the path. Legend sat beside the Skyloftian hero, a curious glance sent to Sky’s way with a tilt of his head.

“They call me Sky,” the Skyloftian reintroduced himself, taking his own glance towards the sky as a breeze swept his hair. “It seems hard to believe, but we all do care about each other. Don’t let their attitudes tell you otherwise.”

“Are you all related?” Legend asked.

“In a way, yes,” Sky replied, “but it’s a lot more complicated than that.”

Sky sighed. How could he tell Legend, once again, that he was one of the reincarnations of the Hero’s Spirit like the rest of them? It was already hard to believe on its own despite their own experiences as the heroes of courage. He couldn’t imagine….

“I hope you get your memory back,” Sky said. “For everyone’s sake. Things haven’t been the same since you were…” his voice trailed off.

“Since I was dead.”

Sky’s frown sharpened as he listened to Legend’s words. “Wild has told you, hasn’t he?”

The young Hylian nodded. “He hasn’t told me everything. Just that I’ve been lucky to be alive right now.”

“It’s been our mistake,” Sky whispered. He took out a bottle from one of his adventure pouches, filled with brilliant, red liquid to the brim. “We shouldn’t have needed the shrine.”

 _We should have saved you right there and then._ Tightening his grasp on the bottle, Sky faced Legend. The other boy had his eyes fixated on the object, mesmerized by its appearance. The same look in his face just as when Wild spaced out….

“Legend?” Sky asked softly.

“I saved another person’s life, didn’t I? Did I risk my life so they could live?”

According to Wild and Hyrule… that wasn’t how the battle ended out…. But Sky had no way of knowing without relying on possibly false truths. “Whatever your memory says must be true,” Sky replied.

Legend lifted his head back to the group, searching for something... someone. He stood up from the ground, "I believe I have someone to apologize to," Legend said. "Even if I don't remember all the details."

"Do you remember who it was?"

Legend tensed. "I-I will figure out. I believe it's one of you. I _know_ it's one of you."

Legend ran back up to the cliff, pausing to take a good look at Four before joining the others. The short hero stood confused, shrugging before he joined Sky.

“Hey, may I ask you something?" Four whispered. “We need your help.”

“What for?”

“Well... since you're good at carving I thought... I thought you could create something for Legend.”

Four pulled something out of his tunic. The bottom half had the shape of an egg... but that shape was ruined by the blackness running down the egg-shaped item like lava.

“I believe this is Legend's ocarina,” Four explained. “I’m hoping you could help create a new one.”

Time joined behind him. The tallest loomed over the shortest like a mountain, but he crouched down to Sky’s length as he glanced at Four with firm expectation.

Along with the damaged item, Four pulled out his own egg-shaped instrument: a blue, pristine ocarina shining in the daylight. “Here it is for reference. I don't play the ocarina often but it made me remember. Perhaps this will help Legend.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive. But it never hurts until we try.”

“The ocarina may help him just like the slate helped the champion,” Time claimed, “but there’s no guarantee.”

“We have to work as a team here,” Four said. “The sooner we help Legend the better it’ll be for us.”

Sky flinched. He thought of the captain's command in his mind: _Don't need anyone else out of my sight._

But he's willing to defy such command. If it meant to help everyone. Sky stood up and Four and Time followed along.

“Let's go," Sky said. "I'm going to make it happen.”

At the bottom of the cliff awaited a luxuriant forest brimming with trees and wildlife. The greens filled up the skies, raining down its dying leaves to create the carpet of the forest floor. They hummed a silent melody in the air and Sky was tempted to follow along, fingers twitching over his harp hung on his back. From the same melody they whispered a message: heroes have fallen but never forgotten.

With renewed purpose he, Time, and Four sought the best and sturdiest branches they could find. With their carving and smithing tools, Sky was confident they could create an ocarina out of the wood.

They began to work. Time told Sky of an old friend who gave him a precious ocarina, long before the blue one he held on his hip. Sometimes he could have sworn he heard her play the instrument. A note here and there. But they were in an era far too gone for such presence to exist. Sky tried not to imagine a world where the Goddess Hylia—his Zelda—lay forgotten in the eyes of her people. A world lay into ruin.

He didn’t need to. Her Grace started to shed her tears.

* * *

The shrine reeked of shadows. A scent reminiscent of _the shadow_ emanated all around the chamber of resurrection. A grimace found its way onto the wolf-clad hero's face; The darkness shrouded the true cause of the veteran’s awakening.

He had to tell the cub, if no one else. The captain still hated his guts and he doubted his association with shadows would earn him a shred of trust. His hand hovered over the crystal that reeked of the same dark magic that some others detested.

Still, he let the darkness overcome him, transform him into the blue-eyed beast people associated with monsters. He then honed his senses, sniffing out _exactly_ where the shadow had gone through—

Right on top of the container. The scent trail hovered all over it. The beast growled, he didn’t dare think how much the shadow meddled with the recovery. He rushed out of the chamber, jumping his way out of the tunnel.

He had to tell the champion—

He halted. Lightning highlighted the captain and the sailor drenched in the storm. Their silence spoke volumes, unflinching even as thunder exploded in front of their eyes. The world captured this little moment: souls shattered as did a mirror once in the twilight.

The shadow had to wait, the wolf thought. He had more pressing matters to deal with—those which came from within.

He pressed on.

* * *

_“You should know by now, Hero of Souls.”_

Sky’s words stripped Warriors of his voice, as if it was a punishment from the Goddesses themselves. Hylia’s Chosen Hero walked away, leaving in his wake a tense silence that even shut the voices of the divine. And Warriors knew why.

To doubt Sky was to doubt Hylia herself. And to doubt Sky was to doubt his very soul as a hero.

And to be frank, he did. He did doubt himself much more than he had doubted others. After all... he did fail _him._ Warriors couldn't bring himself to look at Legend joining Sky, so he turned away and turned his glance towards the ruined Hyrule Castle looming on the horizon, joining Wind and Hyrule at the edge of the cliff.

He knew Time and Four were whispering among themselves, and Warriors didn't have the heart to check upon them anymore. Traitors or heroes—he was just tired of it all.

So when he heard the shuffling by the other group and saw Four leaving, Warriors just... allowed it despite the command he gave. He knew sooner or later Time would follow suit. And he did.

“Hey, Warriors, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Wind.”

“That didn't sound alright to me,” Hyrule stated beside Wind. “Something's bothering—”

"Hey."

Warriors tensed. He didn't need to turn around to recognize the owner's voice, even if it lacked the usual snark behind his words. Rather... that snark found a new owner.

"What do you want?"

Warriors faced Hyrule. Eyebrows furrowed at the bitterness that seeped into the traveler's voice. It was uncharacteristic of him—Warriors didn't recall his voice being anything like it before.

He paid close attention on him.

"Listen," Legend began, "I just want to—”

"Keep it to yourself!" Hyrule jumped on his feet. Warriors and Wind followed suit in alarm. Hyrule ignored them and continued, "I don't want to hear anything from you right now."

"Hyrule—”

"Warriors, you weren't there," Hyrule exclaimed. Red brimmed around the brown of his eyes. _"You weren't there."_

Warriors paused. His wide-eyed glance mirrored Legend's just-as-shocked, open-jawed expression.

_What in the world happened there?_

Before anyone could respond Hyrule headed straight out of the and _jumped_ off the cliff. “Hy—Wind, wait!” Warriors rushed to the edge, yanking Wind’s arm and pulled the boy from the air. Warriors remained firm against the boy’s thrashing, kicking and elbowing him as Wind tried to reach out into the air. “Hyrule!” the boy cried. “Hyrule, come back!”

Hyrule had long faded into the heart of the plateau.

“Wind, let it go. He needs space.”

“But what about the monsters?”

“He can handle them. I think.”

Warriors felt the boy’s body slow into a limp, and then he lowered him back to the ground. Wind stared at the sea of green below. Somewhere, Hyrule awaited. Warriors doubted he’d go beyond the walls of the Great Plateau.

When he met the amnesiac’s eyes, he saw Legend had been still. Warriors wasn't sure what was going through his mind—if anything had brought light to his memory. Perhaps he was still in shock at the suddenness of the traveler's actions. Legend breathed, his expression strained as he put a hand on his forehead. “I-I think I'll go look for him,” he said. “Alone.”

“Are you sure?” Warriors asked. “Listen, I don't know what happened—”

“And that's what I intend to find out," Legend remarked. “And please. Whatever happened between us two, I think it should be us alone.” He shook his head. “I made a mistake. That much I know.”

Warriors pursed his lips at the statement. “How much do you remember?”

“Running,” Legend replied. “And someone yelling.”

His tone held a note of finality. Warriors closed his eyes, trying to imagine a scenario where—

“You chased after the shadow,” Warriors recalled. “But why? Why leave Hyrule behind?”

Not that Legend would know the answer…

“Listen,” Warriors commanded. “Before you go I need to entrust you something to defend yourself. There's monsters out there.”

Warriors took out his own White Sword and Shield from his bag. He knew they weren't Legend's own weapons... those were in Sky's hands right now, along with the rest of his equipment. "Here," Warriors said. "I'm letting you borrow them, I trust your muscle memory will help you should trouble arise."

It took a few moments. Legend had stared at the sword and shield frozen, unsureness dulling his eyes. He then grabbed them and began his search for the missing hero, not leaving a glance to the two he left behind.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Wind asked. "Hyrule might be long gone by now!"

"I don't think that's necessary," Warriors replied bluntly.

“What about the others?”

“Let them be. They don’t need us.”

It was just the two of them now. A storm roared right above their heads and it all poured all over the plateau. In his silence, Warriors sat by the tip of the cliff, watching the clouds overcasting the view into darkness.

Wind joined him, frustration lingering in his eyes but otherwise said nothing. They just watched as the lightning split the skies just as the world within shattered. The wolf, somehow in his infinite wisdom, reappeared from the shadows and joined beside Warriors.

"You know," Warriors said, "you always seem to know when something's up."

The wolf said nothing.

Warriors had taken a moment to look at the wolf that everyone had long trusted for their journey. He recalled now—the chain on his left forepaw and the imprinted mark on his forehead, the exact same wolf he glimpsed upon in that accursed temple.

"What's funny," Warriors put an arm around Wind, "is that you're more of a hero than Twilight will ever be."

"What do you mean?" Wind asked. Even the wolf tilted his head as if to ask. Eyes narrowed but he didn’t growl.

"I'm glad you weren't there," Warriors whispered. "Before I even met the others, I saw statues. I saw Sky. I saw Young Link. And I saw—I saw the wolf. Crazy, huh? A wolf bearing the soul of the hero? I don't recall seeing Twilight there.

"But I didn't see you either," Warriors said to Wind. "In a way I'm glad. She didn't need to put you what I went through."

The wolf—Wolfie—shifted his position, putting himself between Warriors and Wind, as an attempt to comfort both at the same time. Warriors, for once, smiled.

"I just want both of you to know what I went through," Warriors continued.

He told the tale of when he was back in Sealed Grounds, trying to close one of the portals that had brought Sky's Surface into his own time. In the midst of the chaos his own soldiers have turned against him...

And he hasn't been the same since.

To trust others bearing the same name and sharing the same spirit was, quite frankly, more difficult he'd like to admit—even if he knew beforehand thanks to Wind and Young Link.

And when he found Twilight's actions suspicious... he was afraid his fears were right.

Wolfie gnawed at his tunic, tugging until Warriors locked eyes with the beast.

“You don’t agree, huh.”

The wolf barked in affirmative. Warriors furrowed his eyebrows. If Wolfie could speak he’d ask _why_ of all things—the wolf was there in the battle with the Guardian before he—

“Warriors?”

The captain had his eyes shut. He steadied himself through his shallow breaths, glad that the young sailor couldn’t differentiate his tears blended with the rain’s downpour.

Duty, after all, came first.

“I'm fine. When everyone’s back,” Warriors’s voice lowered to a whisper, “we have to keep on chasing after the shadow. We cannot mop and argue we each other forever—”

“You’re right.”

“What?”

“You’re right,” Wind said. “But I don’t think I can apologize to Twilight. Not yet. Not until he explains himself.”

Wolfie gave another whine.  
  
The young boy rose to his feet, still watching the never-ending rain pouring through the plateau. Wind sighed. “I-I just don’t know. I don’t know what to think anymore. I don’t think Twilight is a bad guy but—” He choked on his words with a laugh. “What else am I supposed to think of him? Nothing makes sense anymore.”

“You say that as if the world made sense in the first place.”

Wind chuckled. “It once did.”

The world disappeared under his eyelids. Trust was something he once thought true in his. The trust his father gave him, entrusting him with the sword that guided him into the path of a knight, only to be twisted and shattered into the ravage of war. Yet he led on, trusting his words to guide his army, leading his comrades into the face of victory and survival.

Words now failed him.

“I failed him.” Warriors waved the scarf over Wolfie and Wind, cocooning them from the war storming all around. “I should have known better. I should have ordered them to stay until it was over. I led them straight into danger and I-I killed Legend.”

“You didn’t. The shadow did.”

“But it couldn’t have done so if we stuck together,” Warriors argued. “As Captain I should’ve seen it. Don’t you see it?”

Wind shook his head. “I don’t think anyone would, Captain. I think we’re used to being alone.”

Alone. His heart clenched at the thought of being alone again, trapped within those walls as shadows of his arrogance overwhelmed him. _Friends saved me_. Warriors thought back to the Hero of Legend. _We need to save him._

“I think you did what you could,” Wind said.

Warriors didn’t respond. Frustration fumed through his sigh, escaping into the world as Warriors remained stuck in the probabilities of the battle. Probabilities in a world where he could never undo their mistakes.

* * *

He was running. Running. Running. Running into the heart of the woods.

Hyrule ignored his body tingling with electricity, sparkling with the same intensity as the furious skies roaring above him. Clouded as he allowed his heart to beat. He ignored the one calling his name—the same one who sought him as who abandoned him. The forest greens only a blur behind the grays and the split whites.

His mind wrenched with the recollection of the battle, caught off-guard when he was left to face alone with the monsters. Monsters that cornered him and almost shredded him apart.

The world froze. His chest hurt. Air, despite its abundance, escaped from his lips as he sought the view of the grays and the greens. The grass lit into flames as thunder struck the earth.

But none of that mattered. It never did. It quenched into nothing as soon as it started.

“Hyrule!”

His heart throbbed at the wavering of the voice. Hyrule remained still. Eyes shut to the world around him, only facing the darkness within.

“What do you want?” Hyrule asked. “It's not like you remember.”

Only the rain embraced his words. Boots splashed against the wet grass, slowly approaching the traveler.

“Hyrule I—”

The voice trailed off into the wind. Hyrule opened his eyes, facing the eyes of the fallen hero behind him. Eyes, once cold and hardened as ice, melted into the puddles below him. While the brown in his burned aflame.

“Do you even remember what you did?” Hyrule asked, arms crossed close to his chest shielding his heart. “Are you just pretending you forgot what you did? Act as it never happened?”

Thunder struck the other's voice shut.

“Legend, I trusted you!” Hyrule cried, lashing his arms out as he stomped towards—his friend? brother? predecessor?

_Traitor._

“How can I know you wouldn't leave me again? How can I know you wouldn't leave me die in a ditch?! How can I—how can I—”

His throat tightened. Warm tears burst from his eyes.A look at the amnesiac showed him stunned, hands lingered in the air as if to reach out to him, but never doing so.

“You didn't listen to me.”

Legend's arms limped to his sides. His face casted into the shadows as he faced the ground, eyes shut as he bore the raw, blunt force of Hyrule's words.

“I-is that what happened?”

“You left me to _die.”_

Silence swallowed the remaining fury out of Hyrule's grasp, leaving behind in its wake his reigning fears.

_Legend... Twilight... who else? Who else is working in the eyes of Ganon?_

“I-I thought the potion—”

“So you remember!” Hyrule lashed out. “That potion meant for _you!”_

Legend flinched and slipped, the flooded ground soaking him cold. He jerked as lightning clasped the world right above them, finding himself buried under the grass as cover.

Hyrule loomed over the pitiful hero, nothing like his predecessor he had come to know and looked up to, now fallen under his view. Legend's true heart was deeply buried underneath.

“I’m not sure if I'm proud to be your successor anymore, Hero of Legend.”

Hyrule let the light swallow him, carrying him in the currents as he left a dumbfounded Legend behind.

He ignored the voice calling him once more. Let the grays carry him into the greens, hide him from the world that he once embraced in the hands of legends.

The skies had spoken for him.

* * *

_How did I end up here? Why did I feel so close towards him? What happened between us? Why is he so mad? What did I do? Did I do something wrong? Why did he call me Legend? Was that my nickname? Was that who I was?_

_Why can't I remember?_

_“Hyrule! Please remind me who I am!”_


	6. I Believe

“Link. I-I don’t understand.”

Zelda scurried around the remains of her study room, seizing a pile of relatively unscathed books from the long shelf and dropped them to the floor. She dropped to her knees, grabbing one and skimmed through the pages before she spoke again, “Help me, one of these books may have my research about the shrine.”

Wild followed, kneeling and picked one himself. He skimmed through the academic wording of Sheikah technology he barely understood himself. Purah and Robbie grabbed a book each, helping along as they understood the insides of their technology better than he ever could, being Sheikah researchers themselves.

“Something must have tampered with the shrine,” Zelda said, her eyes landing on a page that may hold the key to the shrine’s secrets. “How long was your friend there before it shut down?”

“According to the slate? Three months,” answered Wild.

Zelda snapped her book shut. “Three months? That can’t be right. It took you _a century_ to heal up, there’s no way. _There’s no way.”_

Zelda stood up, pacing around what little room her ruined study room granted her. She yanked the ends of her short blonde hair, groaning in frustration. Wild watched her as bewilderment flashed under her eyes.

“Link? Your friend _shouldn’t have been alive.”  
_

* * *

Link wrapped his arms around himself, flinching from the lightning that struck the sky above him. His back flared with the prickling of a thousand knives, intensified with the downpour of waterfalls running down his soaked tunic. His entire body quivered. At first he thought it was the rain chilling through his skin. Then the lightning struck again and his body _screamed_ to run.

Lightning scared him and he didn’t recall why. Link closed his eyes. It took all of his will to remain in his spot, with the White Sword glowing beside him. The silhouette of the boy flashed along the striking white light behind his eyelids—vanished in a split second. Then of another, of a heavier, older man faded in a flash.

_Who are you?_

Link stood up, grabbing the sword that felt _so right_ in his hand yet waved him with unsureness as its wielder. He sighed, his free hand rubbing his forehead as his mind drew a blank of his vision. He took slow, delicate steps as he wandered through the forest, taking cover under the trees. The rain lessened to a sprinkle, with a drop occasionally finding its way through his blond-and-pink hair.

His pink hair. He fidgeted with his pink streaks and wondered. Wondered if… if they held any significance.Or did he just like pink? Did the others know?

Link stopped. Green little lights glowed in the air, floating aimlessly among the trees. Little fireflies hovered around him, brightening the ever-darkening hour of twilight.

“Hyrule?” That had been his name, right?

Link didn’t find any hint of pink among the green lights. _Hyrule’s not here._ He shook his head. The other boy had long faded into the light. That wasn’t the most surprising thing at all, even though seeing him vanish was quite new in Link’s recent, living memory. _No_. What clutched his heart was the _lack_ of surprise in his own reaction, not even an involuntary gasp out of his mouth.

How much had he seen that the unexpected became the expected? Did he want to know?

Link shook his head once again, continuing his trek through the woods despite his futile efforts of searching. He found himself in a clearing, scattered with boulders and rocks. As he looked up to the cleansed night sky, he saw the side of the cliff looming over him—the cliff where others camped. He could afford a break, Link thought as he sat down on one of the boulders. He had so many questions, so many thoughts flashing through his mind yet all he could make sense of none.

Link felt the world crash. His body quivered as his heart imploded with tears. He buried his head under his palms, soaking as the tears leaked from the depths of his heart—emotions long bottled bursting out of a broken dam. Emotions of an age long gone suddenly resurgent within him. _And he didn’t know why._

He sniffed. Hot tears washed his crumpled face. Heartache pounded out of his chest, swelling from the phantom pain of his past. The world trembled to his core. The shaking wavered the earth under his feet.

Wait… the earth? Link looked up. He gasped as the stones beside him transformed into a colossal monster towering over him. He jumped on his feet, stepping back as his vision fought through the blur of his tears.His hand firmly grasped the White Sword and Shield, hung high as his eyes locked with the monster.

He may not have his memories, but his body never forgot how to fight.

By instinct, he rolled out of the way as the monster threw its entire arm at him, crumbling into pieces. Followed by another, Link launched himself to the armless side. The monster had lowered to the ground, reattaching its arms to its sides with newfound rocks. And that’s when he saw it—a black rock sticking out of its back.

Link reached out his belt, trying to get… _get what?_ He faced his backside, hand grasping at the air as if _something_ was originally attached to the belt—a missing piece of a puzzle that had no full image.

The monster threw its rocky arm once again and Link barely dodged it in time. _Come on, Link, you have to find a way to hit it._ He circled around the rock-solid beast, searching around a pathway to reach to the top. If only he had _something_ he could shoot from a distance!

“I have to climb it, don’t I?” he whispered, eyes widening. He couldn’t find a place where he could have a firm grasp on the beast itself. It approached him, its massive body now standing close to him. The arm slammed down to the ground, with Link jumping back in time. With the arm on the ground, Link’s vision flashed to the tunnel leading out of the shrine.

 _Remember!_ Link jumped straight onto the arm, grasping it tightly as the beast lifted the arm closer to the black ore. Link climbed to the top, eyes locked. Readying his sword, Link screamed and launched all his strength into the sword arm and spun—a spin attack, crushing the ore into pieces.

Link jumped back to the ground, sheathing the weapons as the monster exploded behind him. He dropped to his knees, pressing his hand against the rapid beating of his heart. His shallow breaths amplified, constricting into chokes.

The world seemed to spin. He heard yells calling his name, his and Hyrule’s. Yells from… what was his name? Warriors? That was his voice. The younger guy too. Wind.

Barks of another beast followed. Link tensed. He wasn’t ready for another fight—not again, when he could barely stand—a wolf?

The wolf slid himself into Link’s arms, supporting his weight. It stood there patiently, while Link clutched his fur and focused on his breathing, until he found himself able to relax.

“You…”

The wolf faced him with its blue eyes. The sharp blue eyes of a familiar face. _Do I know you?_ He smiled, the wolf obviously didn’t mean harm. “You’re soft, you know that?”

It whined, pressing its head against his chest.

“Link! You’re okay!”

Link looked up. Wind and Warriors stopped short behind the wolf and let out sighs of relief. The younger boy dropped to his knees and petted the wolf. He smiled.

“Wolfie has been worried about you,” Wind said. “He came running.”

“Wolfie, huh?” Link brushed through the dark gray fur. It was _soft._ His hand jolted to his pink locks, a lost resemblance between the two that he didn’t understand. _Soft_ , he tried to think. He tried to imagine a pink creature, just as soft as the fur of the wolf. His eyes prickled at the faded image.

His heart was missing something.

“You okay, Link?” Warriors knelt beside Wind, putting his arm over his knee. “Is it about Hyrule?”

Link blinked a few times before nodding. He released Wolfie from his grasp, standing up once again and faced the brothers. “He was furious.” Link sighed. “He doesn’t want to see me.”

Walking past Wind and Warriors, Link found himself kicking a stone out of his path, towards the remains of the colossal stone monster now shattered to bits—pieces of rock and minerals scattered around the clearing.

“Wait, you fought a Stone Talus by yourself?” cried Wind as he ran towards the clearing, picking up a shiny iridescent stone in his hand. “Without your memory?”

Link froze. “Y-Yeah? Why?”

Wind grinned at him. “You remember how to fight! Sooner or later we’ll have our old Legend back!”

Legend. There was that name again.

* * *

Although Wind hadn't fully voiced his thoughts, in truth he was scared. Legend's distant glance as he spoke about his successor and descendant told Wind much on how the encounter went. Wind had asked if they should look for the wanderer (and wander he did) but Legend adamantly shook his head. The younger boy sighed, grasping Wolfie's fur for comfort as they followed the wave of the royal blue scarf.

Warriors walked ahead, marching as if he had guarded this path for eons in his duty. He focused straight on, not letting his head wander even as the distant music of their companions rang through their ears. But Legend jerked into a halt, swinging his head towards the sound of the ocarina.

“Is that…?” he trailed off.

Wind paused, pulling Wolfie with him as he looked up to his amnesiac companion. Warriors paused too, but he remained stiff in his form, only looking back over his shoulder.

"Are you guys okay?" Warriors asked.

Neither of them spoke. Legend was fixated towards the music, veiling his vision under his eyelids as he strained to listen for any glimpse of history within those notes. History only revealed in the songs written by the ghosts of ages before.

Wind turned to his older brother, biting his lip as he let his thoughts dawdle. They had been moving back and forth, like a rocking ship traveling through a turbulent storm. On one hand, Wind was glad Legend came back, but he knew their efforts were far from over—especially when others were involved. His eyes sunk towards the wolf who reminded him of the wolf-clad ranch hand. His grip tightened.

“Warriors,” Wind spoke, accidentally snapping Legend out of his trance as the amnesiac faced him. "I'm worried," he admitted. "About the others."

 _The others_. It felt strange, how such words stung. Wolfie noticed, bringing himself closer to Wind's side.

“Are you…”

Wind hummed questionably. He, along with Warriors, faced towards a hesitant Legend, who held his arms tight and whose eyes never landed on either of them.

“Are you asking if we're family?” Wind asked. A nod confirmed it. “Ye—”

“It's complicated.”

Wind glared at the captain. “What's complicated about saying we're family?”

“L-Link deserves the truth.” Warriors folded his arms. The glare didn't go unnoticed from the captain's eyes. “The full truth. No point in keeping it from him if—when he'll get his memory back.”

Wind nodded, but it still bothered him. The hero's spirit. Wind didn't fully understand it himself—he didn't even know if he was the reincarnation of the Hero of Time or not! Yet here he was, along with either other heroes sharing a name and apparently a spirit. Perhaps he was... right?

But he did it for Aryll. There was no kingdom to speak of and no princess to save. Not at first. He had to earn his worth while for others it was their birthright...

 _That's..._ Wind sighed. “Wolfie, I guess I'll let you go.” He released his grip from the wolf. “Don't want to keep you while we blabber nonsense. Go do something fun now. Go hunt. Go search for Wild. Do anything for yourself, okay?”

Wolfie whined, dropping his ears and tail as if to disagree, but he walked away as he heard Wind's plead, to go back into the wilderness, to find Wild. He then faded into the woods, never looking back. Wind frowned. Wolfie was a good listener—too good of a listener, but Wind knew he needed a break from all the noise.

“So,” Wind started, eyes flickering between Warriors and Legend. “Are we going back to camp?”

Without a beat Warriors marched on, hands curled into fists. Legend and Wind followed him, sharing worried glances toward their leader.

“I’m sorry,” Warriors started, not looking back. “I wish it was easier, but our lives are never meant to be.”

The trio traveled back to the cliff that became their crow's nest, where they watched the plateau from the great heights toward a green sea. It felt strange, Wind thought as he reached the edge. Somewhere below in the woods awaited the other heroes and yet... he sighed, crossing his arms.

They all stood around, waiting in silence. Warriors had set up the camp once again, kindling a new flame for the night. The crackling was muffled under the ringing that always played within Wind’s ears, but the orange light reached his feet.

The silence was a killer. Wind wondered when Warriors would start telling Legend. Wind felt a light touch on his shoulder. Warriors stood beside him, watching the green below them.

“Do you see them?”

Wind blinked, wondering what Warriors was referring to. After taking out his sister’s telescope, Wind observed through its lens the ranch hand and the champion. “They’re here,” he cried, watching them walk into the trees, disappearing as fast as they had appeared.

Wind lowered his telescope, gripping it tightly as he recalled the nights he hid himself from Twilight. “We're all heroes and yet we can't help each other.”

The others didn't reply. Wind didn't mind Legend's lack of response—as he had no idea of the events that had unfolded while he was gone. Or even before that. Wind blinked a few times, trying to shake the thought. But Warriors... the captain of an army who put his men and duty above all else...

Wind's voice cracked. “Are you going to explain or not?”

“Right... let's sit down.”

Wind tried to rub away his tears before they took form. He put the telescope away and followed the captain. He had to remind himself that it was just the three of them now: Warriors, Legend, and himself, all sitting down around the burnt wood pile that made the campfire. Wind grasped his knees tight, straightening his back as he looked at the captain expectably beside him. Warriors had his eyes locked towards the burnt pile, letting out a deep breath as he tried to compose himself.

“Legend.”

Legend sat across them, raising an eyebrow but otherwise remained calm—as calm as he could be around a strange world filled with strange people. “I’ve figured. Wild told me. Something about nicknames, right? Why?”

Warriors scratched the back of his head, not facing Legend. “It's quite an unbelievable story, trust us."

Wind rolled his eyes. "You were the one who wanted to explain to him!”

“The truth isn't easy, you know!” The captain huffed. “Okay, how we going to start this?”

“How about nicknames?”

Warriors and Wind paused, glancing at one another before nodding. Wind smiled. _Sounds like a good start._

“Everyone uses a nickname, no exceptions,” the captain started. “Well... maybe except Wolfie, but I'm not sure he counts. But everyone else does. Mine just happens to be Warriors, this is Wind.”

“Warriors? That's funny. Why not just Warrior or something?”

“Well... because I represent the bond between my fellow comrades, all the warriors who fought by my side. Or at least that's the idea.”

“Sure doesn't act like it.”

Warriors clenched his jaw. He faced up to the sky, exhaling a deep breath that he'd been holding for so long, a burden relieved as he spoke, “You're right.” He closed his eyes. “You're right. Ever since you were... you know, I pushed everyone I thought an enemy apart. I still do. Call it justice, paranoia, or whatever, the truth is…”

It took a moment of silence as Warriors tried to recompose himself, grasping his shivering arms as he held back a shaky breath. Wind shifted to closer to his side wrapping his arms around his brother, rubbing his back.

“Warriors, it's okay. He's here now. Legend's back.”

“No. Wind…”

“I’m here.”

Wind lifted his head, watching as Legend knelt beside the captain, gripping his shoulder.

“Whatever you're about to say, save it. I'm here now, memories or not. I'm alive, that's what matters, right?”

Warriors laughed. “If this is why they call you the Hero of Legend I guess we have a god on our hands.”

Wind chuckled. He was happy, glad he could see some resemblance of normality between the two. Yes, Wind believed that as long as the two kept up like this things will go back to normal. They had to, as long as Hyrule and the Great Sea needed them.

Now they just had to explain how they all were named Link and how they all came from different times, that would be fun—

“Hello. You must be Link's friends, right?”

* * *

The moon imprinted its taunting smile in the clear starry night, where the cold breeze swept through the air. A mockery of the goddesses, who watched the heroes suffer with one another when the world needed them the most. Twilight had transformed back into his human form and waited by the Oman Au Shrine at the edge of the Great Plateau. Not the closest to the Shrine of Resurrection, but one of the safest.

_Cub, where are you?_

No sign of the Hero of the Wild, nor there were any whistles calling for his presence. Twilight stood alone, his arm crossed as he watched the empty fields and ruins. Abandoned, just like him.

It's not like anybody needed him right now. Not in his current form. It probably was the best choice to wait for Wild. Wind was worried for him… and Twilight was too.

So he kept watching, his scope covering half his face as he turned his eye towards the shrine across the tower. _If not this one, then that one,_ he reasoned. The only two other shrines in this area were on a mountain, and Wild wouldn't risk bringing others through those. By himself? he didn't care. But not with others.

Then, blue lines from Wild's magic swept down from the sky. Shaping not only Wild, but one, two, three other people tightened with him.

“Wi-Link! Princess!” Twilight rushed to the champion and this era's Princess Zelda, grabbing them as they swayed toward the ground. He looked down at the other two, the Sheikah scientists supported themselves against the floor but were otherwise fine.

“W-where?” Zelda lifted herself from Twilight's grasp. Her disoriented green eyes looked around, then she met up his marked face. "Oh. hi. You must be Link's friend. My name's Zelda, nice to meet you." She stepped away from the Hero of Twilight, muttering a thank you as she held onto the champion, slowly regaining his footing as Zelda supported him. “Link? Purah, Robbie? Is everyone alright?”

Purah was immediately on her feet, a gleam of light sparkled in her eyes under her glasses. “So it worked!” she said, then she frowned, noticing the elder Sheikah on the ground. She helped Robbie stand up to his feet. "The teleportation mechanism must have some sort of limitation on the number of people it carries," Purah noted to herself, taking notes on her notepad after she released Robbie. “It appears side-effects worsen in conjunction with the amount of people. The Sheikah Slate is meant to carry a single person, maybe two at most with no issues.”

“It's a wonder that the slate still worked with all of us.” Robbie nodded, then he looked up to face Twilight. “Hm? You. I don't think we've met before. Who are you?”

Twilight flinched. The man's goggles spun in all random directions like those of Wild's Lizalfos, staring at him like some observable object analyzed for an experiment. “Hi,” Twilight waved, grinning sheepishly. “I’m Twilight, Link's friend.”

A soft gasp escaped from Zelda, but Robbie continued, “Are you the one with the memory loss?”

Twilight cringed at the bluntness of the question, almost stumbling off the edge of the shrine. “N-no!” he cried. “He's most likely at the camp with others, we have a group with us.”

“A group?” Zelda asked, her eyes on Wild. “I can't wait to meet the others. I hope they're treating you well.” She frowned. “But first, the shrine. That's what we're here for, right?”

Wild and Zelda (Twilight should've asked Wild for a nickname for her beforehand) took the lead, taking the group towards the shrine. Twilight lagged behind, bow in hand as a precaution. He still wore the hawkeye mask, keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings.

He heard the distant and soothing sound of the ocarina. Whatever Time was doing must've been peaceful, far away from the center of conflict Twilight found himself in. The hawk-like eye of the captain remained ever vengeful for his skin back at the top of the cliff, once again in his view. The sailor beside him didn’t help matters. The youngest hated him… and Twilight would say he deserved it.

“Twilight?”

The wolf-clad hero hadn't realized he must’ve stopped. The group watched him, the worried faces prominent especially on the champion's and princess's faces. Wild approached him, grasping his shoulder on the mask-less side so that the exposed eye could face him.

“Want us to go on without you?” Zelda asked. Wild nodded a response before she continued, "We'll be waiting for you. Meet us at the shrine."

Zelda and her sheikah group continued on, but Wild guided Twilight towards the depths of the Forest of Spirits, far from the beaten path.

Twilight followed the wild champion, who knew this land as well as the back of his hand. His movements were stiff, Twilight noticed, with his hands clenched into fists as he marched. Nothing like the carefree walks and skips the champion prided himself with in the wild.

When they were sure they were deep enough, suddenly, Wild stopped. “Alright, Twi,” Wild began, his back still facing Twilight. A bark began to form in his words. “Tell me, what's going on with you?”

Twilight creased his eyebrows and bit on his lip. He crossed his arms, he knew what Wild was asking. “You know as well as I do.”

“Why the secrecy then?” Wild turned around to face him, and Twilight found the hurt in the champion's eyes. “Don't you see, Twilight? The reason why everything has fallen apart?”

“I know.”

“Do you really?” Wild asked. “Why haven't you done anything about it yet?”

“You know what my secret is, Wild,” Twilight said, struggling to keep himself composed as his successor kept stabbing at him. “I don't want anyone else to know. I won't allow it. I don't want to lose anyone's trust more than I already have.”

“If you keep with that attitude you will.”

Twilight flinched, watching as the anger built up within the champion's eyes. Directed at him. “Twilight, why don't you just tell them the truth?” Wild continued. “There's no point in hiding this anymore.”

“That's where you'd be wrong,” Twilight muttered, finding no strength to fight back at his protégé. “You know how dangerous shadow magic is."

“And?!” Wild screamed. “How is that more dangerous than everyone being at each other's throats because someone couldn't speak up the truth?! Is your secret more important than them, Twi?! Is it more important than the fact we lost Legend?!”

His voice cracked at the name. Twilight's eyes stung, blurring the reality hanging right in front of him. Wiled paced around, pulling his hair as he screamed out his frustration.

“Twilight, for once think about what you're doing.”

“Don't you think I know that?” A ferocious growl threatened itself under Twilight's throat. “Wild, not everyone handles dark magic well. You know Four and Sky. You know the captain. Don't you think they'd hate me as soon as they realized that? Wouldn't that be even more of a reason for the captain to mark me a traitor?”

Wild stopped, taking a deep breath. His hands shook by his sides, clenching into fists.

“Have you even tried, Twilight? Or are you just too much of a coward?”

There was a pang in his chest, but Twilight said nothing as he tried to hold himself together, not wanting to lash out at his cub. Silence, that's how he best handled things. He waited as Wild faced him, eyes reddening with searing tears.

“I swear to Hylia... one of these days I'll just tell them myself.”

Twilight gasped. He grabbed Wild's arm before he could run away. He yanked Wild closer to him, gripping tighter as the champion tried to pull himself out of his arms.

“What you did that time... you did it on purpose?!”

Wild said nothing, gnawing at Twilight's arm as he tried to claw himself out of his clutches. Twilightwinced, but held his grip firm even as his body was battered by his protégé’s struggles.

“Wild, please.”

A sniff. The thrashing had gone limp, lifeless as Twilight felt the tears stain his arm. Twilight carefully lowered himself to the forest floor, shifting Wild so that the champion held him tight in his arms.

“I’ll tell them,” Twilight whispered. “One day, I'll tell. But not today, not when tensions are still high.”

Wild mumbled in his chest.

“Hmm?”

“P-promise?”

“I promise, Wild,” Twilight said. “Now, let's go. Everyone has been worried about you.”

Twilight rose back to his feet, lifting Wild with him. He was about to follow the champion's lead when he froze, eyes locking with another pair of blue eyes belonging to someone behind a tree. Twilight held Wild's arm, tapping him so that Wild faced the same direction as the person behind the tree.

Not just any person... the metallic shoulder armor was unmistakable.

“Captain?”

A wave of the scarf and Warriors exposed himself out of his hiding. “Are you two alright?” his voice was soft, lacking the bitterness that he had greeted Twilight with before. “I’ve been looking for you ever since Zelda and the Sheikah showed up.”

The statement was aimed at Wild. The champion nodded. “Hopefully they'll find a way to fix the shrine. Had a small talk with Twilight.”

“I’ve heard.”

Twilight froze, the question that lingered deep in his mind stuck under his throat. _How much did you hear?_ But Warriors had started to walk away, not towards the cliff, Twilight noticed, but somewhere else.

Wild must have too. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to find the others,” Warriors said. “Bring everyone back together for the night.”

Wild and Twilight shared a glance. _That's not Warriors,_ Twilight thought, but Wild's softened expression told him much more. _Trust him._

“We're coming with you,” Wild said. “Don't want anything to happen to you, Captain.”

“Thanks for the sentiment,” he said. “But go back to camp. People need you there more. Don't worry about me. I’ll just follow the music.”

* * *

Four, Time, and Sky all sat under a tree. Four sighed in relief as they had sheltered their metallic weapons and armor under it, where its roots also encased an opening for the heroes. It spared them from the electrical charge that would surely turn into an explosion. It also protected the collected wood from the rain. Four figured it saved them some time, now that they were in the finishing touches of their creation: an ocarina.

“Alright, let’s try this.”

Four held the new-made ocarina, marked with Sky’s touch from his carvings. It was smooth under their care, perfected by Four’s hand into the instrument he and Time recognized and loved. He smiled. It was beautiful. The only thing missing was the most important one: the sound.

Four handed the instrument to Sky. After all, the Skyloftian deserved the credit of being the creator of such marvel. Four knew how important it was for one to test their own creations—being a blacksmith meant no room for error on a weapon. But this wasn’t about durability. This was about the heart the creator trusted into his project and Sky deserved that.

“Hold the ocarina like this,” Four instructed Sky. He put his left hand over the ocarina and his right hand under it, wrapping around the base of the instrument. Time nodded, showing Sky the placement of his hands and fingers on his sacred instrument. Sky followed, grinning as his hands mirrored them.

“Good.” Four smiled. “We’re going to play a note. Gotta make sure all the notes are tuned well. Right?”

Time nodded. A mischievous smirk splattered on his face.

“You see this?” Four showed his fingering, including the back of the instrument. “Follow along and we’ll hear how the ocarina plays, sound good?”

Sky nodded. One by one, they began to play a note, making sure Sky blew on it correctly. No. Too soft. No! Not too hard! Either Four or Time would correct him, playing a long, prolonged note until Sky matched them.

Four frowned inwardly. The notes were deeper, mellower than the ones he and Time were accustomed to with their own instruments. Time seemed to notice, with a narrowed eye and wrinkled face, but kept going despite it. It gave a pleasant harmonious accompaniment to the higher-pitched ocarinas. It didn’t sound out of tune. That was the important part.

“I hope Legend doesn’t mind,” Four said. He recalled the ruined instrument that Legend held so dearly, holding it in his grasp when he thought no one else was watching during those long nights.

“I’m sure he’ll like it.” Sky smiled.

“If nothing else, he’ll have something until we can give him a proper replacement,” Time said. His finger slid through the surface of the smooth, blue ocarina. “I’m sure he’ll understand, after everything we all went through.”

Four nodded. He stood up, and stretched his arms into the air, not quite meeting the tree hanging over him. “I’ll go check how the others are doing.”

“You don’t want us to come?” asked Sky.

Four paused, touching the Four Sword’s scabbard resting on the forest floor. “I think it’s best that I go alone.” He sighed. “Don’t want to make things even worse. Trust me, I know how it feels.”

He strapped the sword and shield on his back, taking in the long breeze sweeping through the air. The rain had dispelled to reveal the little dots scattered around the scenery. Sunset fireflies.

“Pass me the ocarina,” Four said, “I’ll give it to him.”

Sky passed the instrument to him. Four held it tightly in his grasp, carrying in his hand as he walked out into the open.

 _Legend deserves to know,_ Green spoke. _It will give him a clue as to what happened._

 _It will help him with his memory, right?_ Red asked.

 _There’s no guarantee,_ Vio answered.

 _The sooner he gets it back the sooner we can move on!_ Blue yelled.

Four tightened his grasp on the ocarina. “I know,” he muttered. “But we have to try it… for everyone’s sake.” He put the instrument in his pouch, stored away in safety until it could be delivered to its proper owner.

The music continued, now with the sounds of Sky’s harp that brought up tranquility, harmonizing with Time's own instrument.

Four smiled. The post-rain mist clouded the view of the cliff and the surrounded area. The forest became denser, filled with loose leaves flying through the breeze and dew that Four could almost taste in his mouth, along with the strong scent of grass that fragranced the winds. Four sought the gentle calm that arrived after the storm, breathing in the foreign peace that had vanished in the past few months. Peace. A concept so distant for the heroes, yet one that everyone fought for.

 _If only everything was like this forever—Huh?_ Four strained his ears. He thought he heard something, a jingle nearby. Overhead, a pink glow passed by erratically, zigging tree by tree as if searching for something.

“A fairy? Wait!”

It chimed in alert. Four chased after it, keeping his eyes close to the hovering ball of light above him as it flew away into the deeper covers of the leaves.

The short hero halted. If he kept running the fairy would be even more scared by his presence. Four kept watching, taking a much gentler approach as he sat down, lowering himself to the ground to make himself smaller, less threatening to the fairy.

The fairy, it seemed, got the message. With hesitant strokes of its wings, the glowing light hovered in its place in the air.

Four remained silent, although in his mind he had many phrases he wished he could utter to the fairy. _You're safe,_ he wished to say, but it was best for the fairy to trust him first.

It slowly descended to the ground, towards a nearby trunk. The fairy flickered, as if to send him a message without ever speaking a word.

Four whispered, “Do you... do you want me to come?”

The fairy said nothing, but it remained still as Four approached it. _Him._

Upon closer inspection, underneath all that glow that concealed a fairy's appearance, was the brown hair and the green-and-brown attire of the traveler hero, sitting down at the edge of the stump.

“Hyrule?”

His wings drooped.His head hung low, hiding his face from Four's view.

“Hyrule, what's wrong?” Four frowned. Silence met him, leaving him alone in his thoughts. Would it be better for them to be alone, hiding away from the others?

“Hang on a second. Don't fly away. Please.”

Four climbed onto the stump from the side, not to hurt Hyrule. Magic blew within the stump. _Perfect._ After uttering a few words in the Minish language, the world changed around him.

Falling. Four was falling. Darkness encapsulated the world, leaving only the lights cracking from the heavens. A hand reached out from above, calling out his name.

Four smiled. Said hand grabbed his, breaking his fall into a slow descent until his feet landed on the floor. The tall (for his size) bouncing mushrooms that usually cushioned his fall were absent in this era. But it didn’t matter, a grin splattered on Four as he faced Hyrule hovering above him, with shock found on the fairy boy’s face.

“So.” Four placed his hands against his sides. “Do you want to talk now?”

“S-since when?!”

“Ever since my first adventure,” Four replied. “Just hadn’t found much use until now. Well, besides exploring. But that’s beside the point. Do you want to join me?”

Shock turned into a frown. Hyrule lowered to the ground, landing on his feet as he met the shorter hero. Grasping his arm, Hyrule closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

“I don’t know where to start,” he said. His wings vibrated, seething with anger. “I-I can’t.”

“Take a deep breath then,” Four said. “I’ll wait until you’re ready."

He waited. A deep, delicate breath reached the traveler’s lungs. They both stood still, waiting for a voice deserving to be heard and the courage to bring it forth. But Hyrule hid his face under his brown curls, releasing only a sniff.

Was he… crying?

“Hyrule?” Four lowered his arms. “Hyrule, what’s wrong? Is it about the fights? Is it about Leg—”

Hyrule flipped around, his wings flustering towards the Minish-sized hero. _Legend,_ his name must’ve hit a nerve. Four remained silent, watching as the traveler hero wiped the tears from his concealed face.

“How can I trust you?” Hyrule whispered. “How can I trust you when I couldn’t even trust two of my best friends?”

Four paused.

“How can you trust them?” Hyrule yelled. “How can you trust someone who just runs away? How do you know they aren’t working for the monsters?”

“You got that from Warriors.”

“I trust him,” he said. “At least he didn’t do what Twilight and Legend have done.”

“Listen, you don’t know the full story.”

“Well, do you?” He faced Four. “Were you there when Legend ditched me and I had to fend myself against the monsters? No! You weren’t!”

“Neither were you when Twilight saved me and showed me you needed rescuing,” Four remarked. “We helped you, remember?”

Hyrule closed his mouth, glancing away from Four. “I… I forgot. But I thought Warriors said he wasn’t there,” he whispered. “I remember, before we even left he wasn’t there….”

Four shook his head. “It’s not my story to tell,” he said, “but it’s one I know. He’s always been helping us. Just because you didn’t see him didn’t mean he wasn’t there.” He spread his arms. “Just like us, we become small. But just because no one sees us doesn’t mean we don’t help, right?”

Hyrule’s wings dropped. “I… I suppose so.”

“Besides, about Legend... Do you know why did he leave you?”

He nodded.

“Don't you think that he thought you could handle the rest yourself?” Four asked.

A silence followed. Hyrule turned around again, but his movements were slower, more delicate. He took a few steps towards the wall of the trunk, rubbing his arm deep in thought.

“He couldn't have thought that. I'm not a hero like you guys.”

“Hyrule—”

“But I guess I'll never know now.”

The walls seemed to close in. Four shut his eyes, growling at the grand possibility of such reality. “We won't let it happen,” he said, his voice wavering more than he'd like to admit. “If we work together we can help Legend. I believe... I believe we can do it.”

But the light from the fairy boy dimmed in the darkness, as Hyrule sat down with his knees pressed closed to his chest. Four followed, sitting down beside him.

“Remember, Legend got something. He got us.” Four pulled out the wooden ocarina. “We can try our best to help with his memory. Wild's too. But the key difference is that we've been part of his life then. And we should be part of it now. We're in this together, Hyrule.”

The dark brown eyes only stared at the instrument, towards a long-forgotten window of the past. _“Legend,”_ Hyrule breathed. Tears ran down his tanned, freckled face. “I… I miss you.”

Four put a hand on his shoulder, but Hyrule answered with an arm around the shorter hero's back, pulling him closer to his side.

“Hey, Four... has the world ever been this cold? This... empty?”

Four frowned, but he nodded. “I know what you mean.”

But together, Four knew that eventually the world would warm up once again.… A flame rekindled in the forge.


	7. Lost in Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read this chapter with caution.
> 
> There's an act of choking.
> 
> Angst is abound.
> 
> Tears will fall. Maybe. 
> 
> Grab some tissues for the longest chapter as of yet.

“Hello. You must be Link’s friends, right?”

Link lifted himself from the ground, glancing in wonder at the young woman who stopped in front of him. Her green eyes captivated him, as if she held some sort of strong wisdom underneath. A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his stupor and he realized two other people behind her: an elderly man wearing some strange goggles and a young six-year-old girl... for some reason?

“Yes, we are,” Warriors answered beside him, tightening his grip on Link. With his other hand on his chest, he bowed. “I’m Warriors. My friends here are Wind and Legend. We’re honored to meet you, your highness.”

Wind joined beside Warriors, fully bowing at her presence. Link paused, wondering at his words. Before he could even join the bow her voice interrupted him.

“Oh, none of that! We don’t need formalities here. Please.”

“Of course,” Warriors continued. “I’m assuming you came here for the shrine.”

“Yes... That’s why we’re here. I’m surprised someone made it out alive despite its malfunction.”

“I agree.” The grip tightened even further, almost piercing through Link’s red tunic. Link could only stare back at Warriors as he continued. “If it weren’t for the champion our friend here wouldn’t have made out alive.”

“Do you know where he went?” asked Wind.

“He went to check on another friend,” the young woman replied. She frowned, her eyes landing on Link’s shoulder and glanced upon the hand that held it. “He will meet us in the shrine when he’s done,” she continued. “We’ll need his help as to what’s happening with the chamber of resurrection.”

Warriors nodded. “Right... I’ll go check how the champion is doing. Wind, Legend, stay with the princess.”

Before Link could even ask or protest, Warriors already had started to walk his way down, leaving Link in his wake more questions than he knew to ask in his mind. Wind grasped Link’s hand, bringing him away from those confusing thoughts. The young woman had chased after Warriors too, calling after him, but she quickly stopped on her step as she watched him rush down the path.

She then sighed. “There’s no stopping him, is there?” She turned back to Wind and Link. “I don’t know what happened, but I hope that everything goes well.”

Link nodded. He hoped so too, regardless of what happened.

“Well... Before we go I just want to ask something.” She faced directly into Link’s eyes. “You were the one who went into the shrine, right?”

“T-that’d be me, m-miss, “ Link spoke, flustered. “I had woken up there and... That’s it. I don’t remember anything else.”

“Just like Link,” she whispered, nodding at the people beside her before facing Link once again. “Which means you went through the same procedures as he did. But I don’t understand. The shrine shouldn’t have woken you up this early.” She shook her head. “Follow me. There’s so many unanswered questions here. We need to see what’s going on.”

She guided everyone back down the ramp of the cave, noticing the wooden box below the gap. “Oh, a crate.” She jumped off to the ground below, then she turned to help her people to the lower level, using the crate to ease the gap, with Link being last to jump.

“I hadn’t thought anyone would bring it up the stairs,” she said to Link. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, your highness.”

“Please,” the woman said. “My name is Zelda.”

Link nodded, feeling a strange wave of familiarity as the name rang in his mind. _Where have I heard that before?_ But the woman’s strange lack of said familiarity with him didn’t match.

_Zelda._

Everyone walked down the corridor—past the shallow pond and down the stairs, but as closer as Link approached the chamber, so did his vision blur into the darkness—a heavy mind dragging into a dream. Stairs leading down to a dungeon…

_“Help me... Please help me…”_

Link paused, drawing his sword which casted its strange white light into the darkness. He was met with the gasps of the others around him, wide-eyed at his sudden act.

“L-Legend?”

“Is something wrong?” Zelda asked, pushing herself in front of the others. Softly, she continued, “Are you remembering something?”

_“I am a prisoner in the castle dungeon.”_

No... not her voice. Nor of anyone Link had heard of in his mind. But something... something... was special about this lady’s voice. The way his body twitched as if to rush to her. As if to save her... but he couldn’t move.

_Who are you? Where are you?!_

_“My name is Zelda.”_

Link dropped to his knees, suddenly burdened into his shoulders all the weight of her name. Wind’s hold on him was the only thing keeping him upright.

“W-where’s Zelda? Where is she?” Link gasped, pulling himself from the younger boy. He looked around, tried to chase the voice he had just heard. “Zelda!” he yelled. “Where are you?! Please talk to me!”

Link yelped as Wind gripped on his arm, causing him to drop the sword. The boy called out his nickname, holding him tight into place. Link struggled to pull out his arm out of the boy’s grasp, stumbling around until his back slammed against a wall.

“Legend! Legend, listen to me!” Wind kept calling him until his eyes locked with the boy’s. “She’s safe! Your Zelda is safe!”

“That’s not what I heard!” Link argued. “She’s in danger!”

“She is! I promise! You just had a bad memory!”

Link kept trying to pull himself from Wind, but the boy’s determined glance never left him. “Legend. Link. I swear she’s safe. We made sure of that when we were gone.”

“I...” Link blinked. Eyes stung with burning tears. “I-I—”

“Calm down. Everything’s okay.”

Link choked, watching as the boy slid his arms so that they now held his hand, rubbing it softly as if to comfort him. “Link... Link, it’s fine.”

Zelda... not his Zelda joined beside Wind, grasping his other hand gently. “So is that really your name, Link?” she asked.

Link frowned. “That’s what the others keep telling me. But I don’t understand... I-I thought you were talking about me but you’re... You’re not her.”

“We never got a chance to explain,” replied Wind. “This is what Warriors wanted to tell you.”

Link frowned, creasing his eyebrows at the statement. “What do you mean?”

He carefully observed as Wind pulled back, taking a huge breath before he sighed. “This will shock you,” he said. “I know it’s not easy, especially since you don’t remember anything. But do you want to know why we all took nicknames? Why we call you Legend and not Link? Because we all are called Link, Legend. My name is also Link.”

Silence. A hitched breath escaped from the amnesiac’s mouth as he stared at the boy’s eyes, mind swirling with so many thoughts, so many questions stabbing through his head. Link rubbed his temple, trying to breathe through the mess the boy’s words had brought forth.

“Y-you’re kidding me. Are you joking with me?”

“I wish,” Wind replied softly. “But it’s not just me. Warriors... Hyrule... everyone else. We’re all named Link, that’s why we’ve all have nicknames.”

“So that’s why Link hadn’t told me your name,” Zelda added. “Trying to imagine others with the same name... I can’t imagine if I was standing in the same room as all my ancestors.”

“At least we got titles.” Wind grinned. “That’s how we can tell one another apart.”

Link frowned. He couldn’t imagine what he did in life to earn the title and nickname of Legend. _I can’t be that special._

“I'm glad to hear, but we’ll discuss that later when Link—erm... my Link, anyway, comes here. But for now we need to attend more pressing matters.”

Wind nodded. “Right.”

Wind and Zelda rose to their feet and walked their way towards the room, with Link staggering behind as he picked up back the sword. The group of five now crowded the main room that Link first woke up in without his memory.

“Have you found anything off about this place when you returned with Link—um... what do you call him? Champion?”

“We call him Wild,” replied Wind.

“Wild... That he is. Have you found anything with him?”

Link carefully pulled out his wilted flower, gingerly handing it to Zelda. “There’s this, ma’am.”

The woman caressed the flower with a curious spark in her eyes. “What is this flower? Why would it be down here? Robbie, Purah, do you know what this is?”

The little girl checked it first. “I don’t think this flower is in the compendium,” she said. “But given its form I’d say it’s a hibiscus.”

“Hm... a hibiscus,” the elder man added. “It’s strange, isn’t it?”

“The hibiscus isn’t native to this area,” Purah added. “Someone had to bring it down here.”

“Think Wild knows?” Wind asked Link. A shrug. “I can just ask him.”

Wind pulled out a blue glowing stone from under his shirt, illuminating the room as if its own blue light never had left. Wind inhaled before he began to yell, causing everyone to cover their ears. “HEY, WILD! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!”

“Are you talking with a stone?” Link asked, groaning at how things just seemed to get weirder and weirder in the span of a few hours. _Am I just dreaming or what? This can’t be real._

A voice did ring out from the stone, a familiar voice that Link recognized: _“Hey, Wind. Sorry about that, we’re not done here. What do you need?”_

Zelda gasped. She was about to speak when a glare from Wind was sent her way, _later,_ he mouthed before turning back to the stone. “You found a flower with Legend, right?”

_“Yes?”_

“Do you know anything about the flower? About where it came from?”

A pause. Link sighed. Last time they checked it was just in the shrine, misplaced somehow. “He did say something about Lurelin.”

 _“I think it came from Legend,”_ Wild added. “ _But I’m not sure how helpful that is.”_

“Is there anything else you have found in the shrine?” Zelda asked. “A clue as to what caused this?”

A new, unfamiliar voice answered. _“Actually... I do remember something.”_ The voice continued, _“I think I saw something about the shadow.”_

A gasp escaped from Wind’s mouth.

 _“The shadow?!”_ Wild yelled. _“Why didn’t you say anything, Twilight?!”_

_“I found out when you were gone!”_

The voices within the stone continued, but they faded under the sharp pressure lingering in Link’s mind. _The shadow._ Never before he heard words so unfamiliar yet brimmed him with anger and fear. He clenched his jaw, growling at the words. _The shadow._

Link turned away, approaching the capsule where he had his slumber and then leaned against it. _I still don’t know what happened,_ he realized. _I remember chasing something... a shadow? That shadow…_

His arm instinctively ran over his side, clutching down the red vest of his tunic. Link had seen it when he first woke up... the patched scar that seemed to be too raw for an old wound. Although it no longer burned (if it once did in the first place), Link knew... he knew...

A hand on his shoulder snapped Link out of his thoughts. Zelda looked at him with somberness in her eyes. “I had to put Wild here too when we fell to the Calamity,” she whispered. “It took him a hundred years to recover and he too lost his memories. He still hasn’t fully recovered them, but we’re trying our best with him. I have faith that your friends will help you recover them too.”

Link blinked. “You look too young to be over a hundred years old.”

“That’s because I had to give up my corporeal form to fight the calamity while I waited for his return.” A light smile appeared on Zelda’s face. “And if I still had my power I’d do it all over again for him. I am sure your friends will do everything in their power to help you remember and bring down this monster.”

Zelda pulled her hand, nodding at Link before joining back the others. “About this shadow... is there we can do against it?”

“We’d have to find it first,” Wind replied. “But it keeps running away.”

 _“And until we can find out what it’s searching for we’ll be stuck together,”_ Wild said. _“But until then we need you to remain here, Zelda. We don’t know what will happen if we can’t come back.”_

“At least let us help you with the shrine,” Zelda said, “while you handle the shadow.”

 _“What worries me is that the shadow has been in the shrine,”_ the new voice, Twilight, said. “ _It couldn’t have entered while the shrine was locked down. At least I don’t think so.”_

_“W-wait! Don’t you think…?!”_

Wind covered his mouth, staring wide-eyed at the stone. “No... Please tell me that you’re not thinking what I’m thinking!”

* * *

_“Legend!”_

Darkness. A finger throbbed, twitching as if it tried to escape from the cage that stiffened it shut. The rest of his body followed, twisting and turning as he tried to lift himself awake from the slumber that shut him in place. Eyes opened. His head followed the twitching finger, bare and pale as bone. _Where’s my…_ His eyes followed his arm, just as bare and pale as his finger. _Where’s my—What happened to my—?_ He glanced up. The magical blue dotted lights lit overhead illuminated the heavy fogs shrouding the room, veiling his vision in the shadows.

_“Legend, wake up!”_

Awakened, he pushed himself off the chains of the chamber, lifting himself off the strange blue liquid covering his body. He then gasped, slamming back hard as a shadowed hand clutched his neck tight, clasping his breaths into wheezes. His hands reached out, trying to jerk back the chokehold drawing his life away, kicking and thrashing, and banging against the close walls of the chamber. The hand didn’t budge from its grasp.

Thunder rang in his ears. _“What happened with Legend?!”_

Panicked eyes flickered. Red eyes. Red eyes as bright as the stars glowed at him in silence. A woman as dark as the storms of the seas hovered over him.

The storms. The thunder. Washed ashore. Red hair.

_M-Marin!_

_“L-Legend!”_

The monsters. The shadows. Nightmares. _Death._

_“Everyone! Step back!”_

Blackness. A sweet release found its way into his mind just as his lungs burned with newfound air. Crashes of waves faded into the distance, long away into the sea of calmness.

_“We’re here.”_

**_“We’re here.”  
_ **

* * *

Time’s soft-played melody sang into the air, accompanied with the harmonious strings of Sky’s Goddess Harp. He closed his eye, flashing to the lingering moments of peace in his mind, reminiscing of the time the boys all had been together, enjoying themselves despite the hardships they all were enduring and still had to endure.

His boys.... Three months wasn’t that long ago, but they lasted lifetimes.

Even Sky seemed to notice it, as the plucks slowed down, each note carefully pulled with sorrow. Eventually, the music faded, and the two musicians dropped their instruments onto their laps. Time sighed, opening his eye and noticed Sky turning his head. He followed, listening to the shifting of the grass and leaves nearby until his eye landed on his brother, the captain.

“I’d figure you’d be here,” Warriors said. “Hard to miss the music, y’know?”

“What do you want, Warriors?” Time asked.

Raising his hands defensively, Warriors continued, “Relax. I just want to check how everyone is doing—wait, where’s Four?”

“He didn’t go back to camp?” Sky asked. “He was supposed to deliver something to Legend.”

Warriors lowered his arms, his fallen expression followed. “We haven’t seen him,” he said. “And the cliff isn’t far from here. Don’t you think—”

“Warriors.”

The captain clamped his mouth shut. Eyes hardened as he stared, cold and calculated as Time stood up, now towering a few inches above him.

“I need you to relax,” Time continued. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed. We will find him.”

“Hyrule’s missing too. I know he’s more than capable, but still...”

Time grasped Warriors’s exposed shoulder. “We will find them. They’re more than capable, Warriors. Trust your men.”

Warriors sighed. The captain’s eyes flickered to the Skyloftian knight. “Sky, excuse us for a moment. Go back to camp and make sure Wind and Legend are okay.”

It was an order. A soft-spoken order, but an order nonetheless. Sky nodded, grabbing his items before setting out with a few spoken words: “Don’t make us wait for too long or I will have Fi dowse for you.”

The two watched the Skyloftian fade towards the cliff. Sighing once again, Warriors continued, “I don’t understand, Time. I don’t understand why you trust Twilight the most out of everyone.”

“Some bonds are better left unexplained,” Time replied, his grip on Warriors tightening. “Just know that I still trust you just the way I do him.”

“Time, I—” Warriors shook his head, pulling himself from Time’s grasp and walked away, leaving Time to face his back. “But you always knew, didn’t you?” Warriors crossed his arms. “You and Four. That’s why you were quick to defend him. Wild too.”

“So you found out…”

“And I should have known too. I knew Wolfie had always been a hero but I never thought to put two and two together—and now others may be in danger. Time,” Warriors turned around, eyes determined, “let’s go find the others. Last thing we need is another fallen comrade.”

Time grabbed his items before following the erratic wave of the captain’s scarf, watching as Warriors marched on at a brisk pace—almost dashing off.

There were a few things Warriors hadn’t put together yet, Time thought. How Warriors hadn’t recognized him as the young child who also shared a name and a history prior.

Perhaps that was for the best. Some things were best remained forgotten. Lost like a dream... or a nightmare.

“Time! Warriors! Wait up!”

Time paused, eye widening as faced towards the champion—the cub— with the pup beside him. _They’re here._ He smiled. Both of them—especially the wild champion—were safe. Wild’s lively presence was all the evidence he needed.

“What are you two doing here?” Warriors asked, stopping in his tracks. “I thought I told you to go back to camp.”

“We decided to go look for Hyrule,” Wild replied. “Twi told me he was gone and we couldn’t wait aside.”

Warriors stared. Time could imagine what he was thinking—having a history with the tactician taught him a few things.

“We’ll split up,” Warriors finally said. “We need to look for both Hyrule and Four. You two search around the woods; we’ll search towards the ruins. Meet us back at the camp by midnight.”

“Midnight?” Wild checked his slate. “We have an hour.”

“An hour it is, then,” Warriors said. “But I know it will be sooner—Sky will be looking for us if we take too long.”

* * *

Hyrule didn’t know how long he sat down with Four, but he didn’t care. His mind had drifted off into a slumber as soon as he closed his eyes. Just now did his mind waver—between waking up and falling asleep again with every few breaths.

He was dreaming... right? He now lay down on the floor, arms around the colorful hero that was Four, back stained with endless shed tears once caged within the traveler’s heart. Four slept profoundly, occasionally whispering and murmuring sounds but no recognizable words. Hyrule wanted to hug even tighter—feel the warmth of his friend but he hesitated.

He had to be dreaming. Soon he’d wake up with Legend at his side, with his snarky voice bringing much-needed life to the camp. Soon he’d wake up to Four not beside him, but across the camp by himself.

All those weeks that had passed? All a fever dream. It had to be, right?

Hyrule focused on his breathing, as his vision wavered between Four and the darkness. He tried to keep open his eyes but to no avail—eyelids too heavy for his grasp.

He had to be dreaming.

But he then heard a noise coming from the little guy. Four shifted, turning his head to face Hyrule. His eyes, still heavy with sleep, stared through him. He slowly blinked.

“’M’Rule?”

Four’s mumble snapped Hyrule’s mind awake. He blinked, rubbing his eyes out of his sleeping state. “Hmm?”

“You doing okay?”

Hyrule opened his mouth, but his words were caught up in his throat. He stared, watching as Four’s eyes held a deep hue of red under a light blue. Hyrule shook his head. He _was_ dreaming.

He pushed himself out of Four’s comfort, standing up towards the dark, cold air surrounding him. The yells seemed to echo around him, with the dream version of his friend rushing up to him, catching him short from stumbling back into the void.

The weight of the world crashed down on them and the two landed on the hard floor. Four called out his name again, red eyes tingling with tears.

“Hyrule, what’s wrong?”

Hyrule watched even as Four kept asking him, but he still couldn’t speak. His chest weighed against him, choking him from his breaths.

“Hyrule, breathe.”

He didn’t recall what happened next, but he listened to the words— _Four’s_ words—and with every breath did the world relax around him. Four never left him, even as the shadows covered his vision, waiting to snatch him out of this dream to the next. Suddenly, he felt a warm embrace around him, tightening around his body with a comfort only life could bring.

A hug. He was not dreaming.

Hyrule hugged Four back, never letting the comfort of his friend go even as the shadows vanished in his wake. “‘M’kay,” he mumbled. “I’m okay.”

He kept repeating it but deep down in his heart he wasn’t. Visions thundered back to his outburst, snapping him back into the reality he wished he wasn’t living in.

“I need to go back to Legend,” Hyrule said. “I-I wish I hadn’t said those words…”

Four tightened his hug but Hyrule felt him shuffle, then he looked down at Four’s arm and saw him taking out the ocarina again, passing it to Hyrule’s hand.

“Here,” Four said. “If there’s anyone closest to him, it’s you.”

“I...” Hyrule gingerly grabbed the instrument and held it like a precious crystal. “I don’t deserve this. He probably hates me now.”

Four shook his head as to disagree. _But why?!_ Hyrule inwardly yelled. _You weren’t there. I hurt him!_

As if reading his thoughts, Four tightened his grasp on Hyrule’s hand, glancing at him with a relaxed expression.

_Trust._

Hyrule pulled back his hand, still grasping tight the ocarina. “I can—I will do it,” he whispered. With a comforting nod from Four, Hyrule softly released himself from their embrace and rose back to his feet. Four followed, the reds in his eyes giving way to the blues.

Hyrule faced up to the wide gap in the ceiling. “Shall we go?”

“Sure.” Four smiled. “Just let me turn back to normal size first.”

Hyrule nodded. With wings spread wide, he flew up towards the sky and into the wild. Following him was Four growing back to his normal size, becoming a giant in Hyrule’s eyes once more. The fairy traveler found himself landing on Four’s shoulder and sat down on it, saying to his friend, “I don’t want to transform back. Not yet.”

He’ll transform back when he feels safe talking to Legend—and everyone else. If Legend told the others and they hated him for it he’ll—

“Four! Hyrule! Where are you guys?!”

Hyrule flinched, burying himself closer to Four’s neck. They were the ranch hand’s and the champion’s voices. They were calling for them. And they knew. They had to.

Hyrule was glad Four sensed his fear and caved him under the hood, although it didn’t do much with the glow exposing his hiding spot.

Hopefully the others would understand, right? Even if they didn’t know...

But he didn’t have a chance to ponder more as Four turned, landing them on Twilight’s and Wild’s view. Wild rushed towards them—with Hyrule finding himself backing deeper into the darkness.

“Thank Hylia you’re safe!” Wild cried, with Twilight following behind him. Eyes flickered towards Hyrule, but Wild continued speaking to the others, “Twi, go get Time and Warriors. Four, we need to go back to the camp, _now._ We can’t waste anymore time!”

Wild ran off, yanking Four’s arm before either him or Hyrule could ask what was going on.Hyrule could only watch as he grasped Four tighter, rooting himself firmly even as the world flew by into chaos.

He shut his eyes, waiting for the dreadful moment that made Wild so agitated.

As the darkness became darker and the tensed air heavier, Hyrule’s eyes squeezed even tighter, along with his hands clawing onto Four’s skin. But in this moment did everything seem to slow down, after Four jumped off whatever ground and walked on.

“Wild, what happened?”

A long sigh was the response.

Hyrule dared to open his eyes, his gasp in conjunction with Four’s as he met a group of people surrounding Sky holding onto Legend’s limp body.

“L-Legend!”

Hyrule flew off from his hiding, greeted with gasps and cries of his name but he didn’t care. He hovered over his brother’s twitching face. Chest rising and falling—he was breathing.

“Everyone! Step back!” Hyrule yelled. As the others gave him room he allowed himself to transform back into a Hylian, and crouched beside Legend, holding him along with Sky.

Wind answered the one question that had been screaming in his mind: “He just fainted.”

 _Fainted?_ Looking down at how Legend’s eyebrows twitched and his lips creased,it’d had to be more. A shadow eclipsed into view. Hyrule looked up to Wild crouching beside him, expression mirroring Legend’s. “Looks like he might be reliving a bad memory, but we don’t know for sure.”

 _A bad memory?_ Hyrule frowned, grabbing Legend’s hand and squeezed it into his. “Please, wake up,” he whispered. “We’re here.”

“We’re here,” Sky echoed, mirroring Hyrule’s action with his own hand.

“Might want to take him outside,” Wild continued. “Might help him stay away from this place, at least for a while.”

Sky and Hyrule lifted Legend and carried him outside, but not before Hyrule noticed Wild’s eyes locking with his Zelda, sharing some sort of understanding the traveler wished he had. Sky’s nudging brought him back to the openness of the plateau, where they lay Legend down with Sky’s sailcloth underneath. Legend still had not awakened from his nightmare.

Wind and Four joined beside them. And so eventually did the others—Warriors and Time rushing in as soon as Twilight had told them the news.

Aside from Wild everyone was here, everyone watching once again their brother, just as they did the last time they all were together…Hyrule’s hand tightened, praying in his heart as the weight of the world surrounded him again.

Everyone was here, deep in their hearts reliving the failure Hyrule granted them.

“Please. Give us some room.”

It was a silent understanding. Everyone stepped back, but their worried glances never quite left them. Hyrule remained still, knees weighing as heavy as stone as he remained clasped to Legend’s hand.

His eyes burned. Tears began to fall.

He cried. He cried as his mind flashed to when he tried to save Legend. _I was too weak._ He shut his eyes, hands shaking just as it did when he tried to use his Life spell back then. _Too weak..._

And such spell wouldn’t save him from this memory—this _nightmare._ What kind of healer was he?

And what kind of fighter was he, too? He had resorted to Thunder and Fire. _“If all else fails, use fire,”_ he recalled those words that had saved him countless times during battle but turned to waste against the Stal monsters that cost him his magic—his brother’s life.

His breath quivered. A squeeze back his hand brought his eyes back open, bringing him back to the reality of Legend staring back at him, eyes unfocused but open and blue as the daylight sky.

“Legend?”

A slow blink. Then another. His voice as soft as the wind. “What happened?”

Hyrule clasped Legend’s hand with another and pulled it close to his chest, both hands encasing it gingerly like a flower. He let his tears fall freely rather than shutting and casting them aside. “You’re awake,” he breathed, squeezing Legend’s hand even tighter to his heart. “You’re awake.”

Legend answered back with another squeeze as if to say _I’m here._ A smile found its way to Hyrule’s face, beneath all the hurt and tears.

“I don’t want to lose you. Never again.”

Another squeeze, with Legend’s other hand joining in.

_You won’t._

It remained like this for a while, with Hyrule and Legend holding each other’s hands, gripping them as if one they were bound to disappear—bound to vanish into a world where such reality was not to be so.

Then Legend’s grip weakened, the exposed hand falling limp to his side. His head followed, giving away a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes. Hyrule still held his remaining hand. “Don’t go back to sleep.”

Legend faced him again. Blankness in his eyes. A blink, then another, brought him back awake. He shifted away, lifting himself from the ground with Hyrule supporting him, holding up his back until Legend could sit up by himself.

“I think I saw something,” Legend said, rubbing his neck. “But I don’t remember.”

Hyrule frowned. He watched closely at the rubbed spot, but saw no scars, no marks of injury evident. “Does it hurt?”

Legend stopped, relieving his hand from his neck. He shook his head, staring away from his brother.

Hyrule looked around, watching as the others’ expressions turned into a somber concern, with tightened grimaces as they kept glancing at the duo. He then sighed, putting a hand on Legend’s shoulder.

“Listen,” he started, “we will get through this together. Whatever’s bothering you just let us know.”

Legend’s hand followed in his shoulder, covering Hyrule’s, but he didn’t turn to face him.

Hyrule gulped. “I’m—I’m sorry about that. That was stupid of me. I-I shouldn’t have—”

A clutch in his hand.

“What am I to you?” Legend asked.

Hyrule froze. He recalled the bitter words that he had left Legend in his wake: _“I’m not sure if I’m proud to be your successor anymore, Hero of Legend.”_ He swallowed, wishing to take back to words and never struck them to the amnesiac’s heart.

“You’re my brother,” Hyrule finally said. “Maybe not in blood but in spirit. I’ve always looked up to you. You were—” _the hero that legends have always spoken of._ “You were person who turned me who I am today. You were— _are_ a hero, Legend. I’ve always admired you.”

“So that’s why it feels like I failed you.”

A gasp. Brown eyes widened as Legend stood up from the ground. “L-Legend, you didn’t!”

But his predecessor’s blue eyes stared back at him, daring him to pretend the past was nothing but a dream. Of how Legend had left him, of Hyrule’s anger flaring only to snap at him like lightning struck back from the sky.

_“Don’t you think that he thought you could handle the rest yourself?”_

“I’m not a hero like you,” Hyrule said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Legend remarked. “I’m not a hero either.”

Hyrule was about to talk back, but snapped his head as he heard someone, Wind, shifting, only to be held back by Warriors grasping on his shoulder. Warriors locked eyes with the traveler, giving him a soft look.

It was a battle for him alone.Hyrule glanced back at Legend, words stuck in his throat as he had so much to say, so much in his mind that he wished he could bring light to Legend, so many in his memories, only cluttered into a single humming as he opened his mouth. _The humming_.

Hyrule hurried to his items, picking out the precious instrument and carried it in his hand. “There’s something we wanted to give you back.” He showed it to Legend, carefully placing it in his hand. “This is yours. I-I hope it shows how much we love you.”

* * *

_What if the worst comes?_

_If someday this sweet reverie ends_

_We too…_

_Our memories…_

_For real_

_Fade us by..._

_Fade us by…  
_

* * *

“The only thing we can do now is search for the furnace and turn it back on. I’m sorry about your friend, Link.”

Wild hung his head low, frozen in his place as Zelda embraced him into her arms. He sighed, clutching her as he hugged her back. “I know, Zel,” he whispered. “I-I thought… I shouldn’t have left him alone when I went to look for Purah.”

Purah. She and Robbie stood beside them, heads bowed as they waited for the next course of action. Wild parted himself from Zelda’s arms, noticing the clouded glance on Purah’s eyes through her lenses.

“Anything else we can do?”

Robbie crossed his arms. “Hmm… If we can find out how to restore the shrine and see how it works we can make improvements so it doesn’t happen again. Waiting for you was already rough enough.”

“Even if we fixed the shrine we have no way to help your friend, Linky,” Purah added. “We don’t have anything that can bring back his memories. The pictures won’t help him here, but I’m sure there has to be something!”

“Maybe you don’t,” Wild said, “but the others might. I think I might have something too.”

His Sheikah Slate. He brought out his technological marvel and lit up the screen, illuminating the chamber with the little light it offered. He searched through his pictures until he found one Wind took of his grinning face, with Wild himself and Legend posing in the background.

“I’ll have to show it to him when he’s awake,” Wild added. “Nice one too. Wind and Time have pictographs—those old things to take pictures before the slate was a thing—and Legend looked nice there too. It looks like—”

He paused. His grip on the slate tightened, hands shaking as Wild cycled through his thoughts. “If he knows what a pictograph is…” His eyes widened. “He may have pictures from his adventures too.”

After he put his slate away he glanced back to Zelda, understanding glimmering through her eyes. _You’ve been helping with mine,_ Wild thought, grabbing and then squeezed her hand. _I want to repay it back by helping Legend. I… I can’t thank you enough._

Zelda squeezed his hand back.“You should go with your friends while we search for the furnace,” she said. “They need you more than we do. We’ll be fine.”

“Zel—”

 _“We’ll_ _be fine,”_ Zelda repeated. “The Sheikah have been training me ever since you left for this journey, Link. I can take care of myself now. Besides, I know you will disappear again. You still got that shadow to chase after.”

Wild paused, slowly releasing her hand out of his grasp. “I trust you,” he whispered. “You trusted me for over a hundred years I… I want to repay that trust back.”

Zelda smiled softly, reminding Wild of a slow breeze that brought flowers dancing to life. With a nod at their Sheikah companions the group set out on their path out of the dark tunnel of the shrine of life and death.

Wild felt a squeeze on his hand again, noting that Zelda held it close to her side. He held it tight in her stead, refusing to let her go—to let her vanish again into the cracks of his shattered memories.

The outside world of the Great Plateau granted him a much needed breath of fresh air. It was a breath of the wild—of the freedom granted to him the moment he stepped foot in this new life. The stars above danced and sung their delicate song on the sky-high stage, through the curtains of midnight shades as they blinked in cue to the soft notes of an instrument long forgotten by time.

Whispers hushed in the air, breathing his name. His eyes landed on his brothers, most of who reached out to him and welcomed him back with smiles and Twilight greeting him with open arms. Wild let out a huge grin and rushed to his brothers, ending with tackling Twilight into a hug that reminded him of warm nights protecting him against the coldness of loneliness.

Wild may not have forgotten the promise but it didn’t matter now. Everyone was here. Alive. In his grasp.

He then reluctantly pulled himself from Twilight’s embrace. “How’s Legend?” His eyes fell on the sleeping boy by the edge of the cliff. Wild approached him, aware of the eyes that fell on him but also of the whispers that fell on his princess instead.

Legend. The boy slept under the covers of the sailcloth and the scarf. His hands poked out of them, clasping the ocarina like a delicate egg. The creases that usually ran through his tortured expression were completely gone, leaving behind the smoothness of a much younger boy who knew no stress in his life. Just a boy. Wild couldn’t help but imagine nothing but blackness under those eyelids.

Wild knew dreamless sleeps. He had found more comfort in them than the shards of memories imposed upon him. Nightmares he’d never recall yet left him with a shivering body and unexplained fears. Sometimes he’d wish to remain without a past than to relive the anguish of a previous life.

_You never were meant to be a hero. You’re a failure._

Wild clenched his jaw. His glance fell on the captain, who sat down a small distance away with his feet hanging off the edge. Warriors looked nothing but an ordinary man at that moment—stripped of his armor and tunic leaving only a plain shirt that marked a civilian more than a war veteran. Wild sat down beside him, noticing how Warriors clasped his hands together, fiddling his thumbs around.

It took him a moment to face the champion. “Hey, Wild, welcome back from the underworld,” Warriors whispered. “Didn’t expect to take that long to investigate a shrine.”

Wild shrugged. “Things came up.”

“I’ve heard. I didn’t think it’d happen like this.”

Wild frowned. “Me neither.” He looked down, finding himself staring at the ground below. He itched to drop himself from the cliff and explore the wilderness once again on his own. Nothing but his wits to survive with.

But he was alone no more.

“So… Wild. What’s the plan?”

Said survivalist glanced up back to the captain. “I will stay behind,” he replied. “Watch over Legend. Chase the shadow again. Zelda—my Zelda—and the others are going to search the furnace to turn the shrine back on.”

Warriors laughed. “Right, you reminded me of something I wanted to ask.”

Wild raised an eyebrow at him.

“Nicknames. I’m pretty sure we don’t want to refer the Zeldas as ‘my Zelda,’ do we? Or do you really love her the way Sky loves his sweetheart? Those lovebirds…”

Wild was sure his face bloomed red. He buried himself in his hands, wishing he still kept his cloak to cover his blush. Words vanished out of his breath, leaving Wild as speechless as the breeze.

Instead of giving in to Warriors he sought for the wild to give him a response. He thought of the fauna and the—

“Flora…” he breathed. The Silent Princess whispered her sorrows and her strengths, fighting for survival in this harsh world.

“Flora for her, huh.” Warriors smiled. “I’d say it fits.”

“She’s as much a survivor as I am.”

“I know. I know.”

Wild glanced back to his silent princess. Her smile made his heart flourish with life. Just watching her bloom into the young woman free from the clutches of her duty and destiny was all he needed to thrive.

Then her eyes fell to his. Zelda passed through the others, approaching Wild with her eyes glittering like the stars. “There’s something I wanted to ask you about before we leave,” Zelda said. “Come. Both of you.”’

Wild took a look at Warriors before they both stood up and followed Zelda, joining the rest of the group of heroes. Wild joined Twilight’s side once again, while Warriors joined between Wind and Time, arms crossed as everyone waited for her to speak.

“I don’t want to disturb him any more than we have,” Zelda started, shooting a glance at Legend before facing everyone else. “But there’s something that has been bothering me ever since it was brought up. Is it true?”

Everyone just stared. Some raised their eyebrows in confusion while others waited for her to continue. Only Wind seemed to know, nodding at her with expectant eyes.

Wild blinked at the sailor. _What did you tell her?_

She continued. “You. All of you. You’re all heroes of legend. Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight… When crossing the seas, or in times when we need the Golden Power created by the gods. They’re based on all of you.”

A pause. Wild thought everyone was about to burst in remarks and denial.

It was Warriors who answered first. “Yes, it’s true.” He raised his hand to shut any whispers of protest. “I’ve experienced these events myself before meeting everyone. Eras of various incarnations of the hero’s soul? That’s real.”

“And now you’re all here.”

“Correct.”

“And you’re all named Link.”

“Correct again.”

Zelda’s eyes faded under her eyelids. After a sigh, Zelda faced Wild with a frown forming on her lips. “Oh… I’m sorry, Link—Wild.” She shook her head. “I’m so sorry!”

Wild rushed to hug her. “Don’t be!” he cried. “I’m still me. We’re each our own person. It’s not your fault.”

“I-I wish I’ve been stronger,” she said, burying her head into her chest. “You—you have gone through so much. All of you. I-I wish I was strong enough.”

Wild breathed out a low _shh,_ caressing her back. “You’ve tried your best, Zel,” he said. “That’s all I can ask for. We defeated the Calamity together, remember? That’s what matters now.”

_“Lovebirds.”_

Wild shot a glare at Warriors. “Zelda…” he faced her once again, taking both of her hands in his. “I think it’s time for you to go. I know you’re strong. I believe you can find a way to restore the shrine.”

She nodded before glancing away. “Wh-what about my ancestors? The hero goes with a princess, right? Just as the prophecy foretold.” Her eyes widened. “I remember your friend mentioning a Zelda too. Is that right?”

“They’re all named Zelda too, as tradition goes,” Wild replied. “But… you’re something special to me. Like a certain flower—no. All the flowers. You’re the flora that brings color to my life. My Flora.”

“Flora.” Her face became pink like a hearty radish. “That’s a lovely name. T-thank you. I-I will take it.”

_“Lovebirds!”_

“Warriors… I swear…! Flora, now go before I start putting rocks in his mouth. Just be safe, okay?”

Her giggle was the most beautiful song he’d ever heard. “Of course, Wild. I’ll write down notes for when you come back. Please be safe. All of you.”

Flora pulled herself from Wild’s arms before trailing off into the greater plateau, with Purah and Robbie trailing behind her. The champion watched them until they vanished like the wind.

Wild sighed, trailing off to face Warriors. “If you say one more word about this I will make rock-hard food for breakfast.”  
  
His smirk twisted into a face of horror. "No, don't you dare."

“You know I’m capable of that.” Wild smirked. Then it faded as his eyes landed on the shrine’s mouth behind the captain. The darkness devoured the champion’s mind, trapping him into its walls. Wild shook his head. “I think we have to move camp as soon as Legend wakes up,” he said. “No point for us to remain here. Besides, it’s dangerous for him now. If what happened to him earlier was any indication, we shouldn’t stayhere any longer.”

“So we start to chase the shadow again?”

“Not yet. We need to focus on his recovery first.”

* * *

_“I-I hope it shows how much we love you.”_

The ocarina in Link’s—Legend’s—hand rang in his mind just as pristine waters against the fog in the air. Something about it was truly special, just like the voice of an angel—no, _a goddess—_ echoing within his heart, waiting for her song to be heard.

Legend followed the path of the ruins, away from the others, away from the lingers of his family's pasts to view a life anew. But here did he also see the past lingering by the ruins still standing, including the grand temple granting him no name. It was the only remaining link to the past of this land, he thought, as well as the instrument that was key to the gates of his.

 _What is this place?_ he wondered, his hand sliding across the stone walls of the ancient temple. He tried to grasp a memory of a past long gone but his mind did not flicker a vision. _Where am I?_

The sun of the new day shed no light on the fog of his mind. His eyes traced the remains of the walls before Legend walked inside, scanning the surroundings of the ruined building until they landed on a grand statue on an altar. The grand statue called his curiosity of a forgotten childhood.

Legend approached the large statue, eyes wide in wonder as he reached out through the stairs to touch it, as if the cold, hard woman would bring him comfort the way a mother caressed her child. Her children—as he became aware of the little statues surrounding her, still taller than him.

He started to sweep away the dust. Even as the woman’s eyes hung frozen above him he imagined a strange tenderness swirling within them, waiting to burst off the shell as a golden divine light shone from the sky that gave a powerful embrace, yet as void as the air.

 _I’m sorry._ She seemed to cry.

Legend blinked. The statue, cold and unforgiving as the ruins of time. The light a flicker of his mind. Here he stood, tensed as the statues as his ears flickered to the shifting footsteps behind him.

He drew his sword. A gasp escaped his lips as the sword jabbed against the old man’s neck. Stiffened, but otherwise lay unmoving as he watched Legend with an amused smile, sword drawn inches from his life.

The old man chuckled. “I see you haven’t forgotten your technique. I expected nothing less from the veteran, memories or not.”

Legend lowered his sword. “What are you doing here?”

The old man blinked his only eye at the statue, glaring with a wry face before he scanned the rest of the temple, observing with the same intense curiosity Legend had found himself moments earlier, pacing around with slow, careful steps against the natural carpet of the grass.

“This is the Temple of Time,” the old man announced. Back facing Legend. “This is the place I was named after. You used to know me as Time.”

“Mister Time?”

Another chuckle. “Please, no mister. I’m no different than you boys. Come here, sit with me.”

Legend slowly walked down the steps, gingerly approaching Time as his silver armor pierced through the comfort of a relaxed man into a hardened soldier waiting to strike, even as he was now sitting down exposed to Legend’s own attacks. As he went to sit down to the old man’s right, Legend realized too late he landed on the blinded side. His eyes met the scarred eye and the red marks that ran through Time’s face.

A hand stopped him. “Don’t worry about it. I know you’re there.”

Legend released a shuddering breath. Still, Legend dragged his legs close to his chest, arms wrapped around his rough exposed skin filled with scars—scars he wished he remembered the stories of. What was his past like to have so many faded ones running through his fingertips?

“I imagine this must be hard for you, Link.”

“No need to keep that act up,” Legend mumbled, resting his head on his knees. “I know—I know you all call me Legend. But why?”

A long sigh. Time drew a line on his lips, letting the silence speak in his stead. A soft breeze brushed through the gaps, whispering secrets still unnamed to their ears.

Legend pursed his lips. A side glance followed the old man’s form. Stiff. Armored to the full. A soldier. Nothing like the younger child that was Wind—lively in demeanor and carefree as his tunic that breezed through the air. Perhaps also in his lies.

“Tell me something. Are you all really named Link? Is this all some sort of prank?”

Time kept his lips sealed, pressing them tighter. His face creased with a pained thought before turning away, concealing his expression behind the mask of his stoic voice.

“A divine prank,” he finally answered.

“So was Wind lying then?”

Time faced Legend, raising an eyebrow. “He told you?” Another sigh. “That boy… No. He may be young but his heart is honest.Indeed, we’re all named Link, brought together by the will of the Goddesses for a mission.”

“Chasing the shadow,” Legend finished. He rose up back to his feet, stretching up his arms up to the air, reaching up for the heavens. “But I don’t understand.” He dropped his arms. “Why can’t they do anything about it?”

Time followed, now towering Legend and grasped his shoulder, catching theyounger’s attention. With the marks and scar marring half of Time’s face, Legend felt he was facing a god—eyes frozen as stone towards the intimidating image lingering right above him.

“We’re their pawns. Boys chosen to fight their battles.”

Time beckoned Legend to turn around and pointed back to the statue, whose lifeless glance watched his once again. Legend tried to grasp her presence within his memories. He shut his eyes, swimming in the seas of darkness for her light…

Nothing. Nothing came to mind.

“Do you see that statue? That is the statue of the Goddess Hylia. Only Sky knows her full story, having chosen him to fight alongside her. We became victims to her plan.”

Legend remained silent. Her light reached out through the fogs of his mind, extending like the woman’s hand. The woman… Hylia. _It was her,_ Legend thought, opening his eyes. _She said she’s sorry._

“Although you tried not to show it you took it the hardest, Link. You’ve gotten the most experience out of all of us, especially for one so young.”

Legend pulled himself from Time’s grasp and walked away, embracing his arm. He clawed it, piercing through his skin in a somewhat-familiar comfort. A habit unforgotten. “I…” he paused. What did he want to say? _I don’t believe you? I don’t agree with you?_

He welcomed the darkness back in his vision. It was the only constant in this confusing world. His finger slid across the ocarina still in his hand, the smoothness grounding Legend from the chaos flickering through the others.

Would… had his life been different when he was known just as Link?

After all… it wasn’t like he was a hero—a Legend. Not anymore.

“I just want to go home.”

He waited. Link waited for the wrathful god to reveal himself—to yell and scream for defying this _cult_ he disguised as a divine plan. Link waited for the explanations—excuses—as to why he couldn’t, trapping him into the clutches of a group of boys fighting for their lives.

Link still waited. Silence only answered him. The sound of shifting in the grass brought his eyes back open. Turning his head over his shoulder, Link met a somber face, both eyes closed.

“I do too.”

Link fully turned, eyes widening as the old man lifted his hand, revealing a lone ring amidst the ruby, gold, and brown of his gauntlet. “That’s—” He darted a glance at his own fingers, now aware of the bareness they granted him as he twitched them.

“Do you have someone?” Link asked. Then he blurted out, _“Do I?”_

His vision blurred. The pang in his heart burned with the realization of not remembering his loved one’s face. Nor her voice. _His lady._ The wilted flower flickered under his eyelids, vanished back in the shrine—perhaps now crumbled into dust.

He wished he could remember her name. He wished he could remember the faces of his friends and his family—his _real_ friends and family.

Link was wrapped under Time’s arms, brought to his chest as tears leaked out into dire streams. Breaths quivered as he buried himself deeper into the old man, hiding from the truth that were those words, yet Link couldn’t find himself to push away. His legs trembled under the pressure, gingerly brought down to his knees as he still held on for support.

Time let out a soft _shhhh_ …. He brushed out the hair out of Link’s face, caressing it in strokes as if Link was his own son. “I do have a wife,” he finally answered the question that had long been pushed from Link’s mind. “The most wonderful woman I’ve ever met, who believed and supported me when I had nothing else in the world. You’ve met her once.”

“What was she like?”

A chuckle. One that shattered the illusion of the wrath of a god hanging upon Link. “She's beautiful,” Time started. “A beautiful redhead. She's passionate about her work in the ranch, with a wonderful singing voice to match. She’s—”

_Strong spirited, passionate, that singing voice, and not to mention a redhead._

Link felt the air knocked out of his lungs.

_How a grumpy guy like him ended up with such a sweet woman like her is a real mystery.  
_

* * *

_“Don’t ever forget me…”_

Her red hair. It shone with the radiance of the morning sun, swept by the long breeze that was scented of the sea and the hibiscus on her head. The girl held her hands to her back, humming along some mystical melody long faded from mortal ears.

Link watched her from behind, staring at the marvel that was this beautiful girl—the one with the voice and appearance of a goddess. He slowly approached her, with a smile dawning on his face. His heart swelled for this girl—and her alone. Still, one question echoed from the depths of his consciousness, escaping his lips before he could stop them.

“Who are you?”

The song disappeared. The girl unclenched her hands and lowered them to her sides, letting the sea breeze and the crashes of the ocean waves speak her mind. Link shut his eyes, listening for the whispers of the seas to reveal their secrets—of crashes whispering their sorrow. Then all was silent.

As Link saw the girl again trembles crawled through his entire body. The goddess shed all of her divine light, leaving behind a shell of a ghost girl, her fading form rippling in the air. Link reached out for her, his hand passing through her like water, ripping her form apart.

 _“Link,”_ her voice echoed, blurred her words as was her form. Link had to strain his ears. _“Do you think if I sing this ballad he will grant me my wish?”_

 ** _“Yes.”_ **A stab pierced through Link’s head. His voice—loud and sharp as a crystal—boomed through the vicinity like lightning, striking the world into a flash of white. Ringing burned through his ears, transforming into a shrieking screech shattering his soul.

“S-stop!” Link cried, dropping to his knees and held his head together as to stop the pain coursing his entire being. “W-What’s going on? What’s happening?!”

The girl only began to sing. Her words as quiet as the breeze.

“Wait—What are you doing?!”

Link rushed to his feet, reaching out for the girl that never was.

“No… No. Don’t—Don’t go!”

Never meant to be. A fading dream.

Now out of his grasp.

_“DON’T GO!”  
_

* * *

“Legend and Time still haven’t come back from the temple huh. I wonder what’s that about.”

Warriors was aware of the worried glances aimed at him on his back, but he opted instead to look up at the temple for a glimpse of the shiny armor or of the blue hat sticking out from the stairs leading to the ruins. He crunched an apple, chewing as he leaned on his fist. _What’s taking them so long?_ _Time was supposed to check on him._

The blue afternoon sky was slowly turning into the orange hours of evening, yet he didn’t find himself to have the appetite for lunch that Wild made behind him. Its strong aroma had reached his nostrils but he settled with a plain apple or two. Better to trust an apple than to eat a stew contaminated with rocks. Probably.

He solely focused on the temple staring back at him, praying that sooner rather than later the two would reveal themselves from the haunted halls. Warriors itched to run to check on the two, but he promised to leave Legend to his time in the ruins to recollect himself, with Time checking on him if he took too long.

Well… now the two were taking too long.

“Wars?”

He swallowed, not turning to face the young sailor. “Hi, Toon. How you doing?”

“I wanted to check on you.”

“I’m fine. Just waiting.”

On the corner of his eye Warriors saw the sailor’s tunic waving beside him. Wind stepped into view as he walked towards the temple, holding his sister’s telescope in hand. “You planning to view them from here?” Wind asked. “Let me help.”

“Go ahead.” Warriors sighed, tossing the apple’s core aside. He grasped his crossed legs, trying to keep himself calm despite the worry running through his mind.

 _They’re doing okay._ He huffed. _Time’s capable. Legend’s still capable. They’re fine._

Still, the temple loomed over him from the hill, ticking its divine clock from the edge of time. It ran at the rate of his pounding heartbeat—each second ticking with more thoughts running through his mind.

“Anything?”

A hush. Warriors looked up, eyes widening as he noted the sailor watching through the telescope, mouth agape with a gasp. Warriors stood up and followed his view, noticing Time leading Legend down the ruins, an arm grasped on the younger’s shoulders.

“What did you see, sailor?”

Wind dropped the telescope from his view. “I think there’s something wrong.”

Without another word Warriors darted to the stairs, ignoring Wind’s cries and others calling his name. As he stumbled through the steps his eyes landed on the duo, stopping with a gasp as he watched Time holding onto Legend.

Legend, with his reddened and clearly tear-stricken face, buried himself away from Warriors’s view, nails clenched into his arms. Time towered over, pulling the younger boy closer to his side.

“Time—” _What did you do?_ “What happened to him?” His eyes darted to the younger hero. “Legend—”

“Please, call me Link.”

Warriors froze. He felt the rush of the wind as the others arrived to his side, calling out until they were cut off by the new sight. Now all the remaining heroes stood in front of the arrivals, watching with worry as their companion, once a veteran, broke down into Time’s chest.

The captain stepped forth. “Link… I…”

Time’s persistent silence followed. Warriors glanced back, a frown pursing as his eyes landed on everyone else. Beckoning, he guided back back to camp with no more words spoken among them.

Warriors inwardly growled. This wasn’t the Legend they knew. This wasn’t the veteran who snarled and bit back, yet poked fun with his bets and tactics that made the captain proud. A bitter veteran that spoke out of his shell was better than a silent one at all.

In truth… Warriors wanted to burst into tears himself, rushing out a shivering breath before he recomposed himself into the captain that everyone looked up to— _used_ to look up to.

Everyone then ended up sitting down around the campfire, with Wild sitting across as he reheated the lunch. Warriors watched over to Legend’s side, his body quivering as he grasped his sacred instrument.

No one dared to speak.

* * *

The weight of the silence crashed upon Link like an ocean wave, dragging him into the depths of the foggy seas as he buried himself in the midst of all these people—suddenly strangers to his clouded eye. He held his ocarina as a lifeline, trying to keep himself grounded in a world that seemed more distant than the images flashing under his eyes.

Despite the shaking Link brought the instrument close to his mouth. Already his wavering breaths sang into the vibrating note, hanging on the air, struggling to gain foundation before it fell into a whimper. He tried and tried again, fingers twitching through the holes and testing out note by note.

A note. His mind reached out for a single note—the start of an unsung ballad desperate to be heard by the world. The goddess opened her mouth, waiting for her voice to ring through Link’s song.

He couldn’t… His grasp too unstable for her song.

“What are you trying to play?”

His fingers froze. The note that echoed in his subconscious now out of his grasp.

“I-I don’t know.”

Eyes burned through his skull as his… partners? friends? family? watched him as he held the instrument to his mouth once again and played another note.

No. This was not it. Each note seemed to be further away and away from his mind, leaving nothing but him trying to catch a breeze whispering untold secrets. Secrets that he could not pry to.

Groaning, Link tossed the ocarina to the ground.

“Why can’t I remember?”

He lowered his head to his hands. Internally, his mind was screaming. Pleading. For an answer.

What was the note he was trying to play? Was it a song? Was he even trying to play anything at all?

Was it all just a dream?

His hands cupped the shed tears streaking down his face. He sniffed, trying to regain air in his lungs through the quivers of his mouth—nose too stuffed to breathe in. It left him with gasps between unsteady breaths.

“Link.”

He then felt a grasp on his shoulder. Struggling to regain his breathing, Link opened his eye and stared through the gap of his hand and the blur of his tears. One of his companions, Sky. His form wavered in Link’s vision—just like the goddess.

“I think you should take a break.”

Link kept staring, watching him as if he would disappear in a blink of the eye. Then he pulled his hands away from his face and shrugged off his companion’s hand. After rubbing the tears out of his eyes Link reached out for his ocarina despite the protests that ran through his ears.

He then dropped the instrument under him. Through his weighted voice, he spoke, “I’m not going to play it anymore. I can’t remember her song. I-I can’t even r-remember who she is.”

“Who? The girl?”

Link whipped his head to face Hyrule at the end of the campfire, mouth agape. The brunette flinched, sinking into his knees as he watched Link with wary eyes.

“You know of her?” Link asked through a sniff. “Please. Please tell me who she is!”

Hyrule shook his head. “You told me she was just a dream.”

A growl formed under Link’s throat. “You aren’t saying that because you’re still mad at me, are you?”

Hyrule buried himself deeper into his knees, curling into a ball of greens and browns. “N-no. That’s the honest truth! That’s what you told me!” His eyes widened, glancing around. “Does anyone else know?”

No response.

“Huh, never figured grumpy rat boy here was into a girl.”

Narrowing his eyes, Link faced the warrior. “W-what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well—”

“It means shut your trap before I add rocks to your bowl, Wars.”

Warriors snapped his mouth shut, shooting a glare at the cook. “Fine, then. Link, take this. I wouldn’t trust Wild’s food right now if I were you.”

Link caught the red object thrown at him. His finger slid through the shining red skin lighted by the flame. An apple. He nibbled it. Too sweet, he thought as he swallowed it. Did he prefer sour? Did he prefer… what were they called—oranges? Did he prefer oranges? He didn’t remember.

Yet despite its sweetness—or perhaps because of it—Link found comfort in the apple. He looked at the trees around him, imagining the red dots and the occasional green scattered all over them. Hundreds of such trees in the plains.

He smiled through his drying tears.

“Did you like the apple?”

The shortest one in the group spoke. Link had seen Shorty before, glanced at him with a strange pang in his chest but otherwise didn’t solicit from his familiarity. He now stared, observing the four fragments that made up Shorty’s multi-colored tunic. Each one—blue, green, red, vio—had golden embroidery drawn on them. Strange symbols.

His stomach churned. The sword beside Shorty radiated some strange foreboding that screamed for Link to run away. _Bad things will happen with that sword,_ his mind screamed. He didn’t understand _why._

Darkness. It reeked of darkness despite its iridescent light reflecting from its blade.

“Um… you okay?”

A blink. “Um… yeah, yeah I am!” Link replied. “Don’t think I ever got your name. Erm… nickname?” He shook his head, murmuring to himself, “I still can’t believe you—we—are all named Link. It doesn’t feel real.”

Chuckles resounded through the camp. Shorty glanced away, facing the campfire with a sigh.

“Well,” he started, “I’ve been Four, named after the Four Sword.” He pointed at his weapon. “The name’s origin is a long story. I might tell one day but not tonight. We need to focus on trusting among ourselves once again first.”

Four’s voice faded into an awkward silence. Link looked around camp, observing glances diverted, heads shifting, bitten lips, and a hacking cough. Wind tried to cover his cough before finally swallowing into relief.

“First the secrecy, now this.” Warriors crossed his arms, glaring at Four. “I think there’s a reason why we can’t trust each other.”

“You’re the one to talk.”

That seemed to shut the captain.

Link remained silent. He leaned forth, shutting his eyes and let the dreams flood over his vision, pulling him away from the tensed air burdened over his hunched shoulders. Yet he couldn’t help but wonder. These people… they were family, right?

Why did he feel happier—and heartbroken—with the girl? How come no one else knew about her if they were his family? Did he even trust them before he lost his memories? He sighed.

“I wish I could remember her song,” Link said absently. “I wish I could remember her.”

“Maybe we could help you,” Wild said. “Given how much we share in our adventures maybe someone has come across it? But first we’d have to figure out what kind of song it is.”

“I… I think it’s a ballad,” Link replied. “Ballad of…”

“Oh, you mean Ballad of the Goddess?” Sky asked.

Link jerked to face Sky, mouth agape at the name. He then stared as Sky pulled out his golden harp and plucked the first few notes until they subsided.

“Well… I’m not as good as Zelda, but does it sound familiar?”

Link creased his eyebrows. _Something_ about it did feel familiar in the back of his mind, but didn’t strike a core. _That can’t be right._ He then pushed it aside and shook his head. “No. That’s not it.”

“Oh! He could be talking about the Ballad of Gales!” Wind cried. The youngest pulled out a strange silver stick— _a baton_ , his mind provided—and began to conduct. Notes rang out of the baton, changing in pitch as Wind swung it in different directions.

“I will say, that does sound familiar,” Twilight said after the notes subsided. Wild stared at him, raising an eyebrow. _Do you really?_ his expression seemed to say.

“Really?” Wind asked. “How? I thought we were from completely different times!”

Twilight just shrugged. “Link, is that it?”

“No. That’s not it.”

“There’s also the Champions’ Ballad,” Wild said, stirring the pot. “But it was made for the champions of my time. I don’t think it existed for you.”

Link frowned. _Our time? My_ _time_? He rubbed his head, trying to comfort himself from the chaos of these people’s words. _How can they talk so casually like that? They had to make everything up! There’s no way this is real!_

He just shook his head. _Still not it._

Time spoke next. “I know of a ballad, but I doubt any of you boys know it.”

“Try us, old man,” Warriors said.

“It’s called the Ballad of the Wind Fish.”

The camp was met with silence. Only the cracking of the firewood and everyone’s breathing reached their ears, all hitched on the amnesiac’s reaction. Link let out a heavy breath. Body stiffened. His eyes focused on nothing but the flames as they burned through the darkened sky. Finally, after what seemed forever, Link let out a slow, deliberate nod.

“Hers,” he whispered, eyes turning towards Time. Of course the old man had the answer… “That’s her song.”

The old man’s eye slowly widened, staring before quickly regaining composure. “Guess I was wrong, then,” he said.

Warriors elbowed Time, smirking. “See? You knew it! Now go play the song for him!”

“Well, I had played four different parts of this song on different instruments,” Time said. “They’re meant to be played at once. Unfortunately, I only still have my ocarina.”

“Can you still play them?” Link asked. _Just a few notes. That’s all I need._

Time nodded. “Yes, but it’s not the same.” He then played the first part of the song. A few notes, repeated a few times for Link to sink the notes within.

A sigh. It did not ring any bells…

_Bells…_

_Bells…_

_Sea Lily’s Bell…_

The bell’s sounds ringed in Link’s head, faded in the fogs of his consciousness.

Time then played another part. It followed a rhythm that it was like the beat of the song, meant for a drum.

Or a triangle.

Link shook his head. Couldn’t be it. Could it?

Time then played a third part, playing several notes in a quick succession with a brief pause in the middle. Link imagined the notes strung in a guitar, or a harp.

“Hold on, Time. Sky?” Link called out the harpist. “Can you play that part?”

“I’ll try.”

Sky plucked the Goddess Harp, echoing the notes from Time’s ocarina. It didn’t quite match to what he had in mind. If he had anything in his mind at all. But Link waved it off. It all had to add to something.

“Then we got the melody.” Lastly, Time played the four notes for the final part. Something felt… off about it. No. It couldn’t be the melody. It just wasn’t.

It wasn’t it. It wasn’t. It wasn’t! _It wasn’t!_

“That’s not the Ballad of the Wind Fish!”

Link burst to his feet, gasping out of his breath as he realized the utter reality of his words. “That’s not the Ballad of the Wind Fish,” he murmured, eyes falling towards the old man whose worried frown reflected on his face. “But if it isn’t… then…”

Eyes shut. Link sank back down, letting the arms now holding him guide him to the ground. “How come none of you knew her song? Or her?” asked Link, opening his glance once more to the others. “I could have told you, right?”

“You didn’t,” answered Warriors softly. “You kept your past guarded from us. You told us bits and pieces but never elaborated on them, and we never asked—we kept secrets as much as you did.”

“And now secrets have hurt us all.”

It was Twilight who spoke. Arms crossed, he glanced at Warriors across the camp. He continued, “I did not intend to hurt you all like this. I care about you lot, I do, and I’m sorry—even if you didn’t believe me.”

The captain sighed. “Let’s worry about that later,” he said. “First we have to figure out how to help Link restore his memories so that he can chastise us later.”

A snap. “Right!” Wild said. “Link may have pictures from his previous adventures. They can help.”

“We could also look at his house too!” Wind cried out. “I remember seeing those instruments hanging on the walls—maybe they can help him remember the song!”

“I remember seeing books and scrolls too,” Hyrule added. “Think that there might be something there about her and the song?”

More voices joined in the chorus of agreement and ideas, ending up with everyone discussing on one thing: helping Link. His face flushed warm as the others roped him into the conversation, now warped into telling stories of the embarrassments his past self made with the others in hopes to spark his memories. Now Link wished he could meet Legend and reprimand him for all these moments of his previous life.

Through the discussion Wild served dinner, passing bowls around until everyone was served. “No rocks this time,” he added, jabbing his spoon at the captain. “Wars got lucky.” He then joined Twilight’s side, eyes glittering towards Link. A grin spread on his face.

Link smiled. He took a spoonful and savored the food in his mouth, relishing in the moment where the air was so light he laughed. He laughed.

Dinner didn’t seem so bad.

* * *

After the flames faded to smoke, the night finally granted a moment of silence and peace among the winds. Sky glanced up at the blanket filled of stars smiling upon them, brightening the darkness with their little lights scattered like fireflies. He smiled, listening to the soft snoring resounding among his sleeping companions, embraced in piles of one another—arms never letting each other go. Twilight and Wild. Wind and Warriors. Four and Hyrule. Legend embracing Time’s arm as the eldest brushed his hair, listening to the occasional murmurs released from the younger’s lips.

As much as Sky loved his sleep he loved the reforming harmony of his brothers even more. A peaceful sleep not dreaded with tension among them. _I wish it could be like this forever,_ Sky thought, joining Time’s side and sat down beside him. He let a long sigh, then looked at Time with his lips curling a soft smile. “How is he doing?” he asked.

“Kid still has a long way to go,” Time replied, a finger still passing through the golden locks. “He was afraid of me when we met at the temple—I could see it in his eyes. And when I brought up Malon…” He sighed.

“Think he loved someone like you loved her?” Sky asked, lips curling into a frown as he faced down. “Like how I love my Zelda?”

Time remained silent, understanding lingering among them even as the words remained unspoken. Sky remembered of their meeting with the lovely redhead—how the couple radiated their love as they danced around the pasture before inviting the group to her home.

 _“I’m sure you’ve found a gal with a little sass,”_ Malon had said to everyone. _“You’re all attracted to that spark.”_

And Sky did. It was to his Sun. But Sky had been deeply daydreaming about his sunshine that he hadn’t noticed Legend’s expression—as to whether he smiled or a frown followed him as it was brought up.

 _Why did he never bring her up before?_ _Did something happen between them?_

His eyes fell on Legend, watching on how his sleeping brother tightened his arms around. “Miss you,” he murmured, pressing his head against Time’s arm. “Miss’d you, Unc’.”

Sky locked eyes with Time as they glanced at one another, expressions mirrored with worry. _Uncle? Who else was close to Legend?_

But neither of them held the answers on their hands. Even Fi remained silent in her whispers—of events where Legend didn’t hold her by his hand and thus she held no information on his behalf. Only Legend carried them too close to his heart—and those secrets now were lost along with his former life.

“Didn’t Wild say something about how he recovered his memories? Something about um… pictures, he said?”

“Wind mentioned Legend knew what a pictograph was,” Time said.“He may have some pictures. Sky, you still have his pouch with his items?”

“I do.” Sky rose to his feet, removing Legend’s pouch from his belt and lifted it in his hands. “Most of his items should be here. Wild may still have the jewelry he had on his person. I’m thinking we should start returning them to him tomorrow.”

“It’s a start. But remember he no longer has the experience of his own items as he did before. He’d have to relearn them.”

“I know.” A sigh. “I hope he starts remembering everything soon.”

Their whispers hung in the air as no more words were spoken between them. Sky turned away, giving one last nod to Time before retreating to the shrine glowing brightly in spite of the night. He sat by it, leaning against the bumps of its strange surface but he didn’t mind. He took out his harp, fingers hovering over the strings as he let out one last sigh for the night.

He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he didn’t remember the love of his life.

  
  



	8. We Sleep On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning for a Panic Attack near the end of the chapter.

A dream. Just a dream. So kept those words repeating as eyes stared up toward the barren blue heavens. The breeze caressed Link’s face—a hand as invisible and faded as the girl whose presence hung under his eyelids.

_“You told me she was just a dream.”_

Just a dream. His lips mouthed the words, drawled like a foreign tongue. He shifted to his side, welcoming the darkness in his vision once again. Fingernails clawed into the gaps in the stone, trying to grasp her presence in his hand.

_Why does she feel so real?_

Whispers of the awakened world haunted him—nightmares mocking a vision of which were supposed to be his brothers, brothers which knew nothing of the girl (and that man—who was he?) his heart screamed for. Link scoffed. He’d sworn dreams held more answers than reality ever did—even if they flickered like embers, blown away as soon as his eyes peeled open.

He drifted back to sleep.

* * *

The morning sun bathed the wildlife of the Great Plateau in its divine light—its holy aura brimming a land once devastated by calamity… much like Hyrule’s own.

It… felt so strange. This was nothing like the land he grew up with despite its shared destiny. The grass padded his feet with the comfort of his green tunic—nothing like the harsh ground that had pricked them with stone. Hyrule watched as flowers swayed between his legs; their petals bloomed full of color and life.

Even after witnessing all those different versions of his homeland, Wild’s held a hidden beauty echoed in Hyrule’s heart—the ideal restoration of his world after fighting off the demons that plagued it. But he could never ignore the hardships that built him, awakening the hero’s spirit within.

The land of Hyrule was… just like his brother.

“Legend’s a completely different person now.”

“Given what happened to Wild, that was to be expected.” Warriors leaned forth beside Hyrule, hands clasped together as he stared at the grass under them. “What we know of the champion’s past… he would be a different person too, nothing like who we got today. Legend’s the same way. And yet…”

The captain let out a long breath.

The unspoken words hung in the air. Warriors rose to his feet and reached out for the makeshift armory, with everyone’s weapons cuddled together under a small cover. After grabbing a scabbard distinct from the one of his own sword, Warriors began to walk away from camp, leaving a single glance at the traveler.

Hyrule was about to join Warriors when the sound of shifting snapped him around. Eyes fell on Legend as he lay on his side, grasping the stone in his hand. “Legend? Link?” His brother’s shut eyes shushed Hyrule into silence.

After a few heartbeats of peace for his resting brother, Hyrule stood up and joined Warriors, grabbing his own sword and shield on the way out. “We’ll be back,” he said to everyone else. The traveler followed the captain, steps staggering through the camp before rising into a confident stride.

Yet he could feel the strands of his hair jolting at the back of his neck. Eyes imprinted on him from afar. A hand tucked the captain’s tunic, pulling him into a halt as Hyrule froze on his glance.

Time. The old man leaned against a tree, arms crossed as he murmured words with the wolf-clad hero. Twilight. His dark magic still reeked from his person. Its foul mist rubbed onto Hyrule’s skin—embers of darkness burnt into him, sizzling with the flare of Death Mountain.

He should have warned the others a lot sooner. Twilight’s magic was evil, similar to the malice leaking in Wild’s world. The urge to step back burst within Hyrule but he resisted it.

_Time. Focus on Time._

Another glance at Time and the old man’s eye pierced through the traveler—a strange, powerful magic seeped from his strained face. His eye softened at the captain, along with the magic leaked within him. a corner of his mouth curving into a lopsided smile. “Hello. Just wanted to see how you two are doing,” he said.

“We’re going for a walk,” Warriors answered. “To clear up my head, y’know?”

It was Twilight who responded, “Take your time.”

Twilight’s words from the previous night echoed in Hyrule’s mind, yet it didn’t bring peace in his heart. The traveler’s eyes darted between the two heroes—a semblance of light and darkness pulsed in the air, tangling one another. Not quite fighting, yet ready to blaze up in the gusts of wind.

Hyrule wanted to run.

“Thank you. Hyrule, let’s go.”

A hand grounded Hyrule out of his thoughts. Warriors guided his wandering steps, adrift without purpose while a glance whispered a silent goodbye. Both Time and Twilight held soft looks on their eyes, radiating the same quiet farewell at the traveler.

Brothers… the word left a sweet taste in his tongue with a touch of bitterness swirling over it.

Hyrule brought his focus on the climbing steps rising to the heavens: the ruins of the Great Plateau. Had this been any other day he’d let his vision glide the area and search for every crevice, for secrets to reveal themselves into the light. But today was not that day. Instead Hyrule turned to his captain, following his stoic march through the unyielding stone.

“Are you going to do anything about Twilight?”

“’Rule, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“But—”

“I _said_ I don’t want to talk about it.”

Hyrule bit his tongue. At the top of the stairs the grand temple welcomed them with its open walls, of silence singing its prayers to the new heroes. Warriors stepped forth first. Slow. Deliberate. His head tilted to the Goddess Statue looming over them, her hands folded as she awaited for a prayer.

“I have so much to think about,” Warriors started. “I know you distrust Twilight—and I don’t blame you there. But I feel… I’m not sure if I can hold on to that anymore.”

“Warriors?” Hyrule frowned. “What changed?”

“Finding out secrets that you weren’t trusted with. And I don’t blame him.”

Warriors glanced around the temple, letting himself wander around as he analyzed the tracks in the grass, stopping for each upturned stone, searching for something while Hyrule just watched from his spot.

“I wonder what happened to Legend,” Warriors said after a moment. “I’ve never thought I’d see him… like that.”

“Right….” Hyrule followed. His eyes locked on the statue, her presence drawing him towards the altar. She beckoned him. “Think the Goddess might listen to us?”

“Don’t be silly. She’d have answered us a long time ago.”

Still, Hyrule could hear her calling for his presence.

“Hyrule?”

Small, delicate steps padded across the comfort of grass under the traveler’s boots, then the grass faded to the dreadful stairs leading up to the colossal Goddess Statue. Her smile greeted him, yet Hyrule felt smaller under her watch, insignificant under her divine light. He lowered to a knee, head tilted skyward, words mouthed in silence.

_Had Legend prayed to you?_

Head bowed to the floor and eyes shut from the world, Hyrule put his hands together, letting the pulse of his heart take over his whole being.

_“Bearer of Light; Bringer of Life. Please, hear my prayer.”_

Silence answered him, yet Hyrule could feel her divine light emanating under those eyelids, listening for him to continue. His resolution hung in the depths of his soul, waiting to transform into words he could ask of the Goddess.

_“Please. Let Legend recover his memories. Take mine in his stead.”_

The silence remained still. A wind brushed through his brunette locks, lifting them into the air along with the loose ends of his tunic. The Goddess’s caress lingered on his face, wiping the tears leaking out of his shut eyes.

Hyrule held on still. Even as his body began to shake, even as his face and his palms dripped of warm sweat through his skin, even as his breaths muttered more words of his sacred prayer. Praying. Praying. He held on still.

_Hero of Hyrule. Open your eyes._

Her golden light radiated in his vision, glowing brightly into a blinding white burning his eyes. But Hyrule remained steadfast. Once it faded everything returned to normal; The flash of white vanished into the altar of the Goddess Statue, once again untouched by the fate of time except for one lone traveler kneeling at her feet.

Until his eyes landed on a large red flower by his knee.

His hand glided under the flower and cupped it within his palm. “Was this… was this here?” The flower now rested in the traveler’s fingers, its petals caressed by the soft touch of the hero. Its aroma flowed in the breeze, reaching Hyrule with its rich scent of the sea. “Why do you smell like this?” he whispered. “I thought we’re far from the ocean.”

Hyrule gingerly uprooted the flower from the earth. Its warm aura murmured of the sun’s rays beaming from the horizon far from the reaches of the land, yet still grazed the fields with a life brought from the divine. The Goddess’s presence may have faded, but her golden touch remained in the flower now resting by the traveler’s chest. Hyrule grasped it close to his heart, resonating with the heartbeat pounding within him.

Whatever this flower may be… he knew it to be a key.

Rising to his feet, Hyrule glanced behind him. Warriors remained at the bottom of the stairs with arms crossed, one still with the ruins like Armos guarding a sacred door. The only glimmer of life being his scarf that wavered on his tail.

As Hyrule descended from the stairs, his captain’s stance crumbled into a descent as well. His arms fell to his sides, hands gripping into fists despite his sharp glance softening by the time Hyrule touched the ground.

“Has the Goddess spoken to you?”

Hyrule smiled.

In a heartbeat Warriors took a step, mouth gaped open at Hyrule as he stared at the red clasped within the traveler’s hand. “What do you have there?”

“She gave me this.” Hyrule showed him his palm, revealing the flower to Warriors. “Do you think it’ll help?”

“That flower…” Warriors’s hand hovered around the petals, his thumb sliding over but not quite touching them. “That’s definitely h—that’s definitely Legend’s flower.”

“Warriors?”

The captain’s fingers quivered. “It couldn’t be.” He stepped back, retreating his hand from the flower’s reach. “Something doesn’t add up.”

“Warriors? What is it?”

He faced away from Hyrule and his expression crumbled further, fallen eyes not of a formidable captain but of a sorrowful older brother. “It’s nothing.” He began to walk away, his back facing Hyrule only for traveler’s eyes to land on a curious blue-and-golden handle of a _very familiar_ sword.

“Wait! What do you have there?”

Hyrule reached out for Warriors, grabbing his hand and pulled him to a halt as he stared at the familiar blade. Warriors followed his sight and smiled. “Oh, this?” He unsheathed it, and the form of the sword struck a core to the traveler—of waters pouring into darkness and the warmth of tender flames within.

“That’s the White Sword.”

“So it is huh.”

“Why do you have my sword?”

Warriors’s smile sleeked into a smirk. “Your sword? I suppose I could tell you more about it. After all, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to deal with traveling across eras.”

He lowered his sword and began to tell the tale of the war across time and space. How he met people from the different eras and worked together as warriors for a greater cause and restore Hyrule’s history back to stability.

“During my travels I came across this sword,” he said. “And the sword you carry right now?” He pointed at the silver handle jeweled with reds. “I have something like it too. The Magical Sword.”

“Magic Sword,” Hyrule corrected, only to snap his mouth shut. The different names among the eras... “So I wasn’t the only wielder of them.”

“Perhaps not. But I’m not sure where we fit in terms of each other.”

“Right.”

“I know Sky’s, Time’s and Twilight’s,” Warriors added. Then he frowned. “And Wind’s… Wind’s was a bit troublesome. He didn’t fit in in terms of our history. And the Guardian of Time didn’t know either… It wasn’t our future. A new dimension, we called it. But it didn’t sit right.”

“Hmm.”

“But there’s more. There’s this girl...”

Hyrule’s ears perked. “Don’t tell me, got another lover?”

The captain’s face flushed red. “N-No. That’s not what I wanted to talk about. If anything _she_ got a lover. But this girl, something unusual happened with her. After the wars ended... Y’know, everyone would be sent back to their times, right? Even people from Wind’s world... era. They’d get send back to their time.

“And this girl, this girl has the same flower you hold now,” Warriors pointed at it. “Usually it wouldn’t mean much, but I’m starting to suspect there’s more to this girl than I thought. Just like the wolf...”

Hyrule asked, “What is it?”

“She spoke about how the world felt like a dream,” Warriors answered. “At first I thought she was like a dreamer, a girl with high hopes and ambitions—maybe she is. But I think there’s more to it.”

A sigh. “In a war of time and space, you’d be crazy to think dreams wouldn’t be involved too somehow. But I think Legend meant it: a dream come true.”

* * *

_Why can’t I remember you?_

Link drifted along the sun-streaked radiance painting the forest with glows of reds and yellows. The trees showered leaves into the air, gliding and twirling around Link in a ballet even as they landed into the carpet of the forest floor, adding to the soft crush beneath the wanderer’s boots.

But even as some missed their mark and landed on Link, tangling on his hair, he continued on without pause. He searched around, his vision dangling low on the reddened barks of the trees and the golden leaves of the bushes, through the brimming shadows within.

_Where are you?_

Ruins. Shadows of ruins loomed over Link, eclipsing against the blinding white skies beyond the sunsetting life. Decayed stone consumed by nature fought back with everlasting resilience of its resolute prowess, now towering with its own cascade of stone washing over the grass and trees, transforming it into an empire.

Ancient Ruins. As old as time itself. More permanent than the flicker of flowers waiting for time reborn.

Link dropped to his knees.

Time. Time consumed everything. Plants crumbled beneath his weight to dust. From sands to ashes. All blown into the wind.

Flickers of life long gone vanished as soon as Link opened his eyes, greeting the sun of the afternoon with a mind lingering of unspoken thoughts. Nameless voices carried on in the air, all of which held to their own lives, far from his in which his dreams sought for. Dreams. He pursed his lips at the word. They had to hold the answer, right?

But he couldn’t go sleep forever.

He lifted himself from his bedroll, for once embracing the awakening world in his mind. Voices echoed a reminder that he wasn’t alone. No. The voice of a loud and bubbly Wind caught his ear. Link turned around, noting the younger teen speaking with Four, Sky, and Wild about a grand tale of an Octorok as large as the mountains and… _seagulls?_

“Whenever you see a flock of seagulls out at sea circling an area, _stay away!”_ Wind remarked. “That’s just asking for trouble!”

“Huh, really?” Wild asked. “I thought they meant treasure.”

A pause. “Well… Those Octorok _did_ give out treasure,” Wind replied. _“But_ you’d have to be prepared with a boomerang first. Otherwise you’re pretty much doomed.”

As the group continued on talking, Link rose to his feet and sent a long glance before turning up to the sky. Of course… there wouldn’t be a seagull here…

Link shook his head. Why was he thinking about birds of all things? After getting himself dressed up he approached the group, his mind lingering as to where half of them had gone… but he didn’t have the heart to ask.

“Hey, looks like you’re finally awake.” Wind smiled. “You’re welcome to join us.”

Link smiled back. He joined between Wild and Sky, eyes flickering to Four but he said nothing, even as he tensed from a glance that held no malice and yet… yet…

He didn’t know what’s wrong. Did something happen between them before?

“Feeling any better?” asked Four.

“I’m fine.”

“Hey, Link.” Wild’s voice snapped him back to face the champion. “There’s something I wanted to show you from last night. Maybe it can help you remember something?”

“Oh, you mean the pictographs—erm… pictures?” Sky asked.

“Right, the pictures. I have one in my slate that has you in it.”

Wild showed Link the slate’s screen, showing a picture of the two standing behind a grinning Wind. And Link… Link was smiling in it, holding up a V-shaped sign in his hand.

* * *

_I just LOVE to take pictures. Will you let me take your picture?_

_Yes._

_Go to the back of the room and stand in front of the screen._

_…_

_I’ll call this ‘Here Stands a Brave Man.’ Say cheese!_

_SNAP!  
_

* * *

Link sighed, lips curving upward. “Are there anymore?” he asked.

“Well…” Wild scratched the back of his neck. “Not with you. You were hard to convince to take this one picture we’re surprised you even smiled.”

Link huffed. “Really…?”

“Really.”

“But,” Wild patted Link’s back, “since you’re our favorite hoarder I believe you might have a few pictures with you somewhere. You _love_ collecting stuff.”

“I bet something’s bound to make you remember,” Four added. “The ocarina helped, right?”

“It did…”

Link took out his ocarina. His finger caressed over the instrument once again. “There’s this girl,” he said. “Her voice had been the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard… and yet…”

“And yet you still don’t remember her.”

Link frowned. “Was what Hyrule said true?”

“I—” Wild shut his mouth. His eyes darted to everyone else, still as the ruins that surrounded them. Eyes drawn away from the question that struck at the core of Link’s heart as the silence became overbearing.

Only Hyrule knew the truth.

The thought caused his heart to wrench as the words still echoed in Link’s mind. _Just a dream. Just a dream._ “That can’t be right,” he told himself. “She’s as real as this instrument. Right here.”

“Maybe Hyrule didn’t mean it literally,” Four said, but his voice wavered with uncertainty. “Maybe you two had a falling out. Maybe you never truly let go of her.”

_“Don’t ever forget…”_

His vision spaced out to the world beyond his grasp, beyond the eyes of an ocean green whose soul reflected his, lost in the very salty waters that dragged him away from this land, reeling him in with the ropes to a shattered dream. _Snap out of it, Link!_ he cried. And it burned to see. It burned his soul to believe.

“I-I don’t get it,” Link stammered. “Did I trust you? Then why—”

_“You didn’t. You kept your past guarded from us.”_

His voice snapped shut. The weight of the words burdened onto his mind, settling in with deep realization that sunk his world deeper into the shadows of doubt: “I never trusted you, did I?”

He jolted to his feet. He shrugged off the grasps trying to ground him in his place. He shrugged off the calls trying to console him from the reality of their group, warning signs that had long ringed deep but he tried to ignore: _We don’t trust each other._

He walked away, brisk as the rush of wind chilling his skin. He stomped through the pavement, which guided him away from the group that he had long distrusted in his heart, but never found the courage to leave.

 _Can’t even trust Hyrule,_ But his heart skipped a beat in doubt.

Through his tears he marched on, never looking back. Never looking forth. His eyes hung low to the ground, letting the grays of stone shield him from the harsh light. The stone walls of the world blurred the voices from his ears.

“Legend!”

He marched on, picking up the pace and rushed away from the steps following him in the shadows. _Leave me alone!_ his mind snapped, but his breaths quivered under a heavy throat, far too tight for his words to echo through.

Then it all ended. The pavement cracked away into an open pond, forcing his steps into a halt. He collapsed. His legs scraped against the rugged stone but he didn’t care. All he could see now was the vision of a young man, rippled apart by the running tears dripping into the pond.

Him. Jaw clenched. Blue eyes burnt red. Face flushed with tearful warmth. And for the first time he saw a young man robbed of memories, of a life of his truth and identity ripped apart just as the waters.

This was him. And through him he saw the sunset reds, also threatened by his fears. Unblinking he stared. For when he did…

“Legend…”

She was gone.

The reflection of the younger boy joined beside him, replacing her. They both stared down, letting their reflections be the bridge for each other. Link didn’t need to look up, for the pond spoke an unwavering truth: Wind was here.

“I think I got it.”

Link could only stare at the boy’s reflection.

“You went through something similar, didn’t you? Something like I went through,” he said. “And no one would believe you.”

Link sighed. He lifted a hand and ran it through the motions, fingers twisted and bent as to form shape, as to _convey something…_ but the shapes blurred into a meaningless wave of movement, only to be stopped by Wind’s own hand.

He shook his head. “Don't worry about it. I’ll tell you what happened, maybe it will sound familiar.”

Wind. He spoke of an ocean far beyond the reaches of his home of a great sea. Another world, he said, the world of an ocean king that ruled over his waters. How the seas were haunted by a ghost ship and Tetra (his Zelda, he further explained), reached out to investigate only for her scream to pierce the skies.

And Wind had tried to reach her... only he didn’t make it.

And he spoke of an ocean unbeknownst to him, beyond what the maps of his world could offer. “It never hit me,” he said.”It never hit me that we’ve been in another world…”

_Another world…_

That was… that was until the ocean king revealed the truth and they were brought back to their own ship… their own world.

“Ten minutes,” Wind added. “Our crew said we’ve been gone for ten minutes, but we’ve been gone for much longer. They didn’t believe us… That it was a bad dream.”

_A bad dream._

“But… I had proof.”

Wind’s reflection vanished from the pond for a second as he searched through his items for his proof. “Here.” The water revealed his item: an hourglass with no grains of sand within it. Glass as empty as their bundle of truth. But its presence spoke it all.

“This was how I knew it was all real,” Wind said, pulling his hourglass away. “And then there’s Linebeck… But we knew. We knew it was real.”

Link’s eyes flashed to the ocarina, still gripped in his hand. _That’s why… That’s why I know you’re out there._ “Even if the world was just a dream…” _Even if… Even if…_

“The ocarina proves there’s more.”

His eyes stung once again, but they no longer burned with a dreadful uncertainty. S _he has to be out there. She has to be_! Only for the words to crash once again:

_Another world... Will I be able to see her again?_

He glanced at Wind through the reflection once again, praying that the younger’s eyes would grant him the hope needed, just a glimpse for a chance that such pathway would exist. A portal out to her world.

And his eyes? They did. _They did!_

Wind launched at him. Link stiffened as the boy wrapped his arms around his torso, pulling him into a shivering warmth that coursed through his body. _What’re you doing?_ he wanted to ask, before his eyes fell on the sun-shined locks buried on his red tunic. It’d been a long moment before Link relaxed, before he wrapped his arm around the boy and began to brush through his hair. His fingers caressed through the tangled locks, gingerly swirling and splitting them apart into hair as smooth as the sails.

“I’m sure we’ll meet her,” Wind added. “Just like we met.”

As lips curved into a smile, Link let his eyes close and leaned his head into Wind’s. He continued brushing the younger boy’s hair, the silky texture melting into his hand as his mind drifted into an ocean calm. _Wind._ Link imagined a salty breeze sweeping through his face, bringing a familiar warmth of an islander in the middle of a cold sea. _You’re from the sea, huh…_

He sighed. _How did we meet?_ Link wondered, opening his eyes and returned to their reflection, of two boys who shared a lot more than his current knowledge could ever offer, brought together in the seas of fate. “Wind,” Link whispered. “There’s something I’ve been wondering.”

“Yes, Legend?”

His heart jolted into a racing pounding through his chest. Breaths shallowed in his quivering mouth. _Why? Why am I so nervous?_ Link swallowed. “How…” His jaw clenched. Free hand curled, shaking by his side.

And the question spoken in his head warped into something else… something much more dire. “H-how was I like?”

The boy didn’t answer right away. Link’s heart jumped at the silence, eyes darted at Wind who faced away from the reflection, burying himself with shut eyes. A breath escaped out of Link’s chest, his eyes widened. _Was I that bad?!_ “Tell me,” Link pleaded. He pulled his hand out of Wind’s hair, fingers curling in shame. “Wind?”

A shiver ran through Wind’s mouth. “Different,” he finally replied. “You were different.”

“How—”

“But I know it’s still you, Legend,” he added, holding his hand. “Memories may change you, but they don’t make you. You’re still my big brother.” His grasp tightened. “I… I hope you know that.”

Link paused. He turned back to the waters, mouthing the sacred word that Wind hung on his heart.

 _Brother…_ the word left a bitter taste in his tongue, yet it touched of sweetness swirling over it.

“W-Wind…” Link’s heart flustered at the response. “T-thank you, b-but…” _Do I want to know?_ He let the unspoken words linger in the air, then vanished them out of his head when a realization dawned on him:

No. He didn’t.

Legend of the past, based of what everyone else had told of their stories from the previous night, was _not_ a person he’d rather meet in his current life.

 _“You’d often banter with the captain,”_ they’d said. _“Hey, Wars. Remember that bet you made with Legend?”_

_“Sometimes you were brash. But we knew you meant well.”_

Brash. His reflection whispered of an opposite world. Cool as the waters ought him… Did he really used to be like that? He shook his head.

Link. His name was Link.

“And—” Wind snapped Link back from his thoughts. “—Despite everything, there’s one thing you’d always sworn to protect. It was so cool seeing your arrow hit Wild’s in the air!”

A slight smile drew on Link’s face. “Huh…”

“Yup! You once saved a seagull from his arrow!” Wind cried. Ocean green eyes brightened with the warmth of the sunshine. “That’s when I knew you loved seagulls as my sister does. You would have loved to meet her.” He gasped. “Here, I want to show you something!”

Another treasure. Wind’s grin shone with pearly gleams as he showed it to Link. “This is her telescope,” he explained, passing it to the quivering, open hand of his brother. “It was my birthday present when I turned twelve…”

Wind’s voice faded off. “Can’t wait to see my sister again,”he added after a moment. “I hope we’ll see her soon.”

“I’d love to meet her.” Link was drawn into the little pair of white-and-gray birds on the sun-warm telescope, gazing each other with the admiration of protective siblings… or of a loving couple. Link clenched the telescope close to his chest and dreamed of a blue world… far and wide as his eyes could imagine. He relished the scent of the ocean breeze, carried through the air of an endless horizon. He dreamed of this world.And a seagull… as bright as the moon, flying off to the freeing skies.

He grasped the telescope close to his heart as he did with his ocarina. The song of his goddess echoed in his heart. The sacred notes resonated through his throat—through a hum of a broken, wavering voice brought forth to life.

_Sleepers wake… Dreams will fade… Although we cling fast…_

_“Was it real…What we saw…? I believe…”_

“Legend?”

_“I believe…”_

“Legend? Link? Is that…?”

“I…” Eyes glanced up. “I believe. I believe’s she’s out there. Somewhere.” And they stung. “She has to…”

Link shoved the telescope back to his younger brother. “I’m sorry.” He pulled away from Wind and lifted himself from the ground, ignoring the questioning hum that came from the younger boy.

“I think we should go back,” Link continued, his glance drifting away as he put his ocarina away. “The others must be worried about us… I think.”

“I know they do, Legend.”

Wind held Link’s hand and guided him back through the path, squeezing it tight. Through the stone did Link count his steps, burying his face back into the shield of a shadowed world.

“Legend? Wind? You two alright?”

Link forced himself to lift his head, stare at sky blue of a worried companion. He merely nodded. “I’ll be fine,” he said. “T-thank you… Thank you, Sky.”

“I’m sorry about your loss,” Sky whispered. “I don’t know about her, but I’m sure you loved her.” Reaching out a hand, he smiled. “Come. I think it’s time.”

 _Time for?_ Link blinked. _Right!_

“The pictures, right?”

“It’s much more. Come.”

After Wind released his hand did Link reach out to grasp Sky’s, letting his older companion— _brother_ , his mind whispered—guide him beyond the camp to a larger, wider area, closer to the flooded ruins.

“Think this place is large enough,” Sky stated. “Here, this is yours.”

Sky pulled out a pouch. _His_ pouch, Link thought with a gasp. After he went to grab it, Link found comfort at the familiarity of its skin. _I was reaching out for this!_ he realized.

Only one question remained: what was inside that would have given him advantage?

He sat down, legs crossed. The others—Wind, Wild, and Four—also joined in the view. Everyone watched as Link opened his pouch and began to look through his items. His hookshot, his bug net, his bow…

His bottle… _the_ bottle. His grasp tightened. _I’m sorry,_ he thought before putting it aside along with the rest of the ever-increasing pile of items and— _how does everything fit in here?!_ Guess he’d never know… And the more he pulled out… the rods, the shovels (why did he need more than one?), the shields…

Yeah… the more he started to realize why he became known as the hoarder. He huffed. But none of them so far had sparked a jolt in his memory. So he kept pulling things out, more and more items joining the pile surrounding him.

And then… then… his fingers latched onto fabric. Link stiffened, before relaxing as he stroke it with a familiar tender touch. He carefully pulled it out, drawn to the green cloth and gingerly unfolded it, revealing his tunic.

“Link?” Wild called out.

His tunic… He clutched it closer to his face, sniffing the green pastures of his apple tree farm and the sweet aroma accompanying it. The warmth brushed through his skin, of the sun streaking with the comfort of a flame in a winter night… of when he heard the tales…

 _Mother…_ He cried, clutching it tighter to himself. _Father…_

_Uncle…_

“…Link?”

Said boy lifted his head, and through the blurs he saw the blue tunic of the scarred knight, knelt to his eye level. “Did you remember something?”

A nod. Link passed the green tunic to him. “Please, Wild,” he breathed. “Hold this for me.”

He didn’t hear for a response before he searched out for the rest of his outfit. His cap. His boots. His undershirt… everything that flashed through his mind the moment he lay eyes on the green fabric of his tunic—the tunic that screamed _Link._

That’s when he knew… once he gathered his entire outfit… “I need a moment,” he said as he carried it neatly in his arms. “I’ll be back. Don’t touch anything. _Please.”  
_

* * *

_A dream come true… huh…_

Warriors ruffled through his hair, chuckling to himself as his thoughts ran in his head. “Never thought that _Legend_ of all people would have a lover. He’s too grumpy for that.”

But the more Warriors thought about it, the more he questioned about his past… and how currently Legend— _Link_ —drew an image that was so unlike _him_. A daunting mirror exposing the truths of his character.

And Warriors knew this feeling so well… how his image as the group’s captain contrasted with his inner self—of a young man whose traumas threatened to surface, only for him to push them down into the depths of his soul for the sake of others.

 _I know Legend felt the same way,_ he thought. _But I never knew how bad it was._

The footsteps in the grass reminded Warriors of his place. “Hyrule,” he called. And the traveler joined beside him, still cradling the flower in his hands. “If we ever visit my era, I have someone to show Legend.”

“The girl, isn’t it.”

“Yes.” Warriors pursed his lips. He never learned her name. And regret swelled in his chest as she had spoken of another Link, one that Warriors never thought he would meet after the second war was done with…

_After Cia recovered there was no reason to…_

He thought wrong. And the shadow’s magic was too reminiscent of Cia’s own power, and despite his confidence in fighting it the shivers of his fears raced in his heart.

_No one should have gotten that kind of power._

The ringing started.

Warriors swirled around, sword and shield drawn with a tightened grip as monsters manifested within the temple. He rushed in, sword clashing with the blade of a Dinolfos. Slit eyes glared with the venom of a snake, and Warriors replied with a roll to the side and cut through the scales of the monster’s torso.

“Hyrule!” he yelled. “Go get the others! I’ll deal with them myself!”

“No!” Hyrule cried, joining with a thrust at an upcoming Lizalfos. “I won’t leave you! We have to be in this together!”

 _Together…_ A growl escaped through his throat as Warriors thrusted through another foe. His mind flashed between the lizard-like monsters and of his old team, split apart at the slash of his own blade.

“Then we have to cut through their numbers,” Warriors said. “We will need the others. I know it.”

* * *

Link felt much lighter with his green tunic—as if the burden on his shoulders vanished from his life. Yet he couldn’t help of his scars, especially the one that ran through his entire arm, once sliced open by a sharp blade.

He covered it with his brown sleeve, shut away from the dangling thoughts threatening to run within him. _I don’t want to know,_ he thought above all else. _Whatever happened… It’s all over with._

Yet the scars burned a permanent reminder of his past.

And another permanent reminder was this triangular mark at the back of his left hand. Link had tried to rub it off, only to redden his hand raw. A tattoo. A birthmark. It taunted him another clue to his miserable past.

Miserable. That’s how he’s starting seeing it?

Shaking his thoughts away, Link gathered back his old clothing and walked back to camp with the others, their eyes burned bright through him, searing with lingering glances as Link crouched to the ground, starting his quest once again as he put his clothing aside and grabbed his pouch for another round of items.

“How come I have so much stuff here,” he muttered.

“You have an item for everything,” was the reply. Link didn’t care who spoke.

The next thing he took out was a box. A red box. His eyebrows furrowed at it, staring with narrowed lips at the marvel of a sealed object. He opened it up and glitters of gold answered him. Rings. A full assortment of rings compiled within a single place with no order to them.

“Right, the rings!” Wild called out. “Don’t try them on, Link!”

“You said some of them were cursed!” Wind added. “Don’t know if that’s true but…”

“Best not risk it,” Wild finished. “Although I can show which ones _aren’t.”_

Link faced Wild. The knight took a ring out of his finger and passed it to him. “This is one that you had on hand,” he explained. “You used to wear it all the time—some sort of protection ring.”

A protection ring. The head of the ring held the shape of a red heart. _The heart ring_. His finger throbbed with the pulse running inside him. Link slid his finger into it and a wave crashed in a flash.

* * *

_Opening his eyes, Legend met with the shadow of a figure overhead, who rushed through panting breaths as he ran. Legend felt the quake in those steps, his body limp as he was carried in the figure’s arms. His finger—the one with the heart ring, he knew—pulsed with a healing magic flowing through his veins. And his heartbeat reverberated through his ears against the silence surrounding him, against the racing gasps of the one carrying him._

Wild…? _His lips mouthed, but his throat too tightened for him to speak._ Wild… what are you doing…?

 _“Hang on, Legend,”_ _Wild whispered through his gasps. “Hang on, I’ll save you.”_

_Legend closed his eyes, letting himself fall into the darkness in his companion’s arms.  
_

* * *

“Link…? Link? Do you remember anything?”

He wasn’t in the darkness anymore. Light grazed upon Link’s view as it all vanished. Snapping to Wild, he stared at those worried eyes and his chest clenched tight. _“I’m sorry. I might have been able to save your life, but not your memories,”_ Wild had said. And they echoed with the words in his memory.

_“I’ll save you.”_

Link looked away, closing his eyes. “Thank you,” he said, before finding himself looking back into the ring— _the ring!—_ that now adorned his finger. “This ring. I don’t think you know how important it was.”

Wild smiled. “Must’ve done something, huh?”

Without much of a conversation, Wild passed him the rest of the rings to Link—those he used to wear up to the moment he fell. Next came a necklace—with medallions that surged with power within them. And lastly came the bracelet. It was faint, but it smelled of a wet dog that Link’s nose wrinkled as he grabbed it, yet when he put it on his wrist it held a familiar grasp, as if just like his rings he felt stripped without it.

All this jewelry. All pieces of a former life. Pieces of a puzzle being brought back together to form a glimpse of who he was. But it wasn’t enough. No.

He needed more. Something that glimmers of gold and the piles of tools and weapons couldn’t offer him. Something more like the ocarina and the tunic, but _what?_

Link returned to his pouch. _What else is there?_ And dug through the gloves, smaller bags, a cape or two. Then a book… and another—

_An album._

Link’s eyes darted to Wild, wide open. _The pictures._ Link pulled the picture album, casting the pouch aside once again before he slid through the lettering on the cover.

_The Travels of Link._

The trove of treasure. And judging by the name they _had_ to tell his past. They had to. After his eyes darted one last glance at his companions before returning to the album, Link began to open it up, praying that those pictures held the answers to the long lingering questions in his being.

…Only that they’re blank. White as the pages within.

* * *

“So… he knows.”

No doubt ran over Twilight’s mind. Time’s reaffirmation of the captain’s words clasped the wolf-clad hero’s fears with an iron chain. He held his crossed arms close to his chest, view drawn low into the shadows as the glaring thoughts loomed over. Thoughts that spoke of distrust, confirmation of a betrayal worse than the knife that once hung on his neck.

“What does he think?” Twilight asked before swallowing his words. “Has he acted any different to you?”

“He’d been worried,” was the quick yet solemn reply. “He focused on finding everyone else than lingering on your secret.”

Twilight hummed, grasping his arms tighter. The words didn’t calm the shivers running through him. _Once it registers in his head,_ the shadows whispered, _he’ll never want to see you again._

Twilight prayed he’d be proven wrong. He added, “I hope he knows I meant it.”

In the corner of his eye Twilight saw the rest of the group. Legend, surrounded by the others and items he knew belonged to the collector. A smile dawned on Twilight, reminding him of the charm that brought Ilia back her memory and the set of pictures that gave Wild a glimpse of his own past. “I’m sure he’ll find something,” Twilight commented. “Given all the items he has? There must be something that holds value to him.”

Time followed Twilight’s glance with a somber look. “Memories are a fickle thing,” he said. “But items can be powerful. They tell a story, even ones that had yet come to pass.”

Twilight nodded. Their glances fell on Legend, who pulled out a certain green attire whose significance ascended beyond the younger boy’s past. _“Look at your awakened form… The green tunic that is your garb once belonged to the ancient hero chosen by the gods….”_

Nails clawed at his arms as the dawn of his heroic journey, _everyone’s_ heroic journey eclipsed over an innocent Legend, who buried himself under the welcoming blanket of his clothing. _Must’ve reminded him of home, huh._ The green pastures of Ordon fluttered through his eyes, its fragrance sweltering his nostrils with the reminder of a simpler life—a life he’d never fully grasp ever again with the filled cracks of a hardened, heroic heart and spirit.

_How will Legend feel when he starts remembering more…? Will he be like Wild?_

Glancing back to Time, Twilight awaited for his mentor to offer any more insight on Legend’s predicament. But after a few long moments of silence, when Legend returned wearing his green tunic,Time sighed. He turned away from the group and followed his solitary step out of the watch.

“Should we check on Warriors and Hyrule?” Twilight asked. “It’s been a while.”

“We should.” Time took on his armor and the Biggoron Sword. “Go ask Wind for the charm. I’ll go ahead.”

After one last nod, Time parted ways while remained behind, picking his own weapons and strapped them to his back. _I hope they’re safe,_ he thought. He approached the group and stepped around the hoard of loose items, greeting with a wave as Four and Sky waved back. After tapping Wind’s shoulder and catching his attention, he began to sign: _“Will need your charm.”_

Wind tensed his shoulders but he nodded, giving Twilight the stone that glowed with the same blue magic as Wild’s slate. “Promise you’ll give it back,” Wind said.

“I promise.” As Twilight carefully wore the charm along the shadow crystal necklace, his eyes fell on the clouded eyes of their former veteran, worn with a striking resemblance to the champion’s own as he saw through his memories. Softly, Twilight asked, “Is he remembering something?”

Wild chuckled. “So this is what I looked like to you guys?”

Twilight huffed. “Watch over him,” he continued. “I’ll go with Time to make sure everything’s okay. We’ll call you if we need it. Stay safe.”

As he pulled himself away from the group Twilight turned back to the ruins of the temple, eyes nearly shut as he left an amnesic Legend and his protégé behind into a battle that neither of them had a choice to partake in.

“Link…? Link? Do you remember anything?”

Twilight smacked his lips. He may have experience with people suffering with amnesia… but he couldn’t imagine suffering it himself. He left himself drift through the stone, away from the group that would need his presence more but his duty called for another. Twilight prayed to the Light Spirits that one day they’d all reconcile—and keep his dark secrets intact.

He took a few steps into the stairs before a scream pierced into the air.

_“Is this some kind of sick joke?!”_

And his heart shattered like a mirror once again. _Wild… Everyone. I hope you can handle this.  
_

* * *

The book dropped.

Legend’s hands trembled, shaking worse that the bare branches of trees in a gust of wind—his entire body, Wild realized, shivered as if he stood in the harsh chill of Hebra. A pang struck Wild’s core as he knew what it all meant…

“I think that’s enough,” he said. “Everyone, help put his items away!”

The others were alarmed, but they rushed into the command and started cleaning up. Wild picked up the book and read the cover. _“The Travels of Link,”_ he muttered, glad that he had learned a little of Legend’s Hylian script. A journal of sorts, perhaps?

“Link?”

“T-there’s… T-there’s…”

“There’s something? Let me see…” Wild opened the book up and noted twelve pictures inside. The first of which was Legend’s iconic sign just like he did with Wild and Wind on their own group picture. _Quite the photogenic guy, huh?_ Wild smirked, only to be erased as he skimmed over the rest of the album.

Something didn’t feel right. Legend seemed to be reacting to _something_ or _someone,_ yet on most of those pictures he was alone on a blank space, as if acting out on a performance. But what captured Wild’s attention was the complete blankness on one of them… Not even Legend himself made an appearance.

Most of them incomplete. The people. The backgrounds. All erased from Legend’s pictures. “Are they supposed to be like this?” Wild muttered. “There’s only you.”

Legend stammered, “T-there’s n-nothing… T-there’s nothing. _Nothing_.”

“There’s you at least, see?” Wild pointed at the first picture to Legend, the most recognizable. “You held the same pose with ours. This is you.”

“Is this some kind of sick joke?!” Legend yelled, slamming the album out of Wild’s hands.

Four rushed to his side, holding Legend’s shoulder. “Hey, calm down!”

Legend shrugged Four off. “There’s _nothing_ in that picture! You’re just playing with me, Wild! It’s all blank!”

“Blank?” Wild frowned. “You can’t even see yourself in them?”

Legend shook his head, expression collapsed. He grasped cap and pulled it down to cover his face, muffling his sobs and shaken breaths. Four patted his back, his eyes falling on the champion. Wild’s heart sank as the usual composure on the smith’s face broke down to fear drawn in his eyes. Wild was sure his expression mirrored Four’s.

_This is bad. This is bad!_

“Link, I’m sorry—”

 _“Wild!”_ Twilight’s voice rang in the air. _“Get everything ready! This is an emergency!”_

“Twilight?! How bad we talking?!” Wild pulled out the slate and gasped at the screen.

_“The shadow is here!”_

Wild growled as he put the slate away again and then clenched Legend’s shoulder. “Link. Link! We have to go,” he said. “We’ll worry about this later, okay?! We need to pick up camp.” Wild’s eyes darted to Four. “Make sure to not leave anything behind!”

Four growled also, but he nodded. While he, Sky, and Wind rushed to gather everyone’s belongings on top of Legend’s, Wild remained firmly by the boy’s side and kneeled down. “I know it’s hard to take in,” he whispered. “I’ve suffered memory loss too. I know this is no joke, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Another sniff. Legend pulled his cap back, letting Wild view his reddened eyes as he stared at the album. He asked, voice as low as the wind, “Do we have to go?”

“We have to go,” Wild replied. “We need to do this. Hang in there, Link. Our family needs our help.”

Legend lifted his eyes. “Family…”

“I promise, we’re family. We waited three months together for your sake.”

Legend remained still. A tear leaked down his cheek and he brushed it away, but he kept silent. He grabbed the book once again, staring through its cover with forlorn eyes.

“Wild, we got everything,” Wind yelled. “Are we going?”

“Go ahead,” Wild replied. “We’ll catch up. Leave Legend’s stuff here.”

“But—”

“Wind, we have to go.”

Wind huffed. But he walked away with Four and Sky,.

Wild strained his ears until everyone’s footsteps faded out of the vicinity, looking over Legend as he slowly regained his composure. With a nod Legend stood up. “Think I’m ready,” he said, voice still shaken. “Let’s go.”

Wild guided him to the remaining weaponry of his companion. He stepped back as Legend approached the golden, reflecting shield as bright as the sun and the scabbard of a blade as orange as a burning flame, both new to him. With everything stored inside his pouch and his weapons strapped on his person, Legend nodded at Wild and the two marched on.

Only the burnt wood proved their presence.

“Is this supposed to be heavy?”

Wild whirled around, eyes peeled at the sword hand dangling low with the weapon. Too low, arm strained with an uncomfortable weight. The champion flickered an eyebrow. “I don’t think so. You doing okay?”

“Can I trade with the White Sword?” Legend asked. “That one felt much better.”

“The White Sword—oh, that sword you had? You might have to search for it. Or someone else took it—but we don’t have too much time. We’ll worry about that later, Link. Let’s go.”

Wild pulled out a bow, arrow hanging over as he led Legend towards the battlefield that was the Temple of Time. Inside the once-sacred place showed the league of monsters fighting against the other Links. Swords clashing. Blood drawn. An arrow ready for aim.

Wild released it. The arrow pierced through a Dinolfos’s head before it launched at the captain. And its pained shriek rang among the countless monsters slashed apart. Wild kept shooting an arrow after another, penetrating the mob of monsters crowding the heroes.

His wild eyes flickered around the temple as the champion locked on between foes. Then he stopped, eyes landing on the former veteran, his heavy sword drawn, as he faced against the shadow girl.

 _Still in that form?!_ Wild yelled internally. And he screamed for Legend.

He was shaking uncontrollably. If the chills of Hebra weren’t enough to describe it, it was as if he made contact with Naydra—the ice dragon that once froze Wild at the brush of its scales.

“Legend!”

Royal blue dashed through the battlefield. Warriors pushed Legend back and parried against the shadow’s sword. Red eyes narrowed with a flaring hatred at the captain, cutting through like a knife as the slashes clashed once again. Warriors slashed back, slicing through the splash of sludge that formed the dress.

“Twilight!” Warriors called out. “Go protect Legend!”

 _Twilight?!_ In a heartbeat he and Wild exchanged looks, but the next Twilight rushed to the green-hatted boy and pulled him out of the shadow’s way. Twilight wrapped his arms around Legend, using his own body as a shield as they ran away.

With a glare, the shadow dodged Warriors’s strike and began to run away, rushing and dodging through the heroes.

Twilight and Legend dropped to the ground as the shadow jumped over them.

Sky charged for a Skyward Strike, only to be struck down by a Lizalfos’s tail.

Four and Wind tried to dodge, only to be stomped by Dinolfos.

Time slashed out with his massive blade, entirely surrounded by the monsters.

Hyrule thrusted at the shadow, only to hit nothing but air.

And Wild, with his last arrow on hand, aimed one more time—

And it struck the shadow’s chest.

The girl’s scream shattered their battle. Monsters collapsed and burst into dust of malice, dark magic dispersing into nothing. The heroes remained, catching their breaths with a burning glare at the monster that started it all.

Warriors grabbed onto the shadow and wrapped an arm around the neck. “You’re not getting away with this!” he snarled. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done.”

Gasps of breath released from the shadow. Right there and then, the shadow pulled up a black triangle in hand and tossed it out, opening a new dark portal. The shadow twisted and thrashed through the captain’s grasp, before breaking through and vanished from the world.

“Captain!”

“Warriors!”

The captain winced. He fell on a knee, holding his torso in pain as he glared at the portal in front of him, taunting their group’s loss. “Is everyone alright?”

As the captain rose back up, Wild rushed to his side and then held him. The champion’s eyes fell on the black and purple swirls of the grand portal in front of them, its familiar presence comforted him now more than it weirded him from the first few times he saw it.

This was how they all met, he reminded himself.

And for the first time in a long while, they’d go through it together. Everyone together. The Links regrouped to the captain’s side, all joining under the weight of destiny pulled by the strings of darkness.Wild turned to Legend, whose eyes reflected the winds of dark magic blowing within.

“Link?”

Legend kept staring at the portal, mouthing with hushed breaths before his words truly came out:“Will I… Will I see her again?”

“You will,” Warriors whispered. “I promise you will.”

It was the reassurance Legend needed. With one last nod he stepped forth, fingers reaching out before his form wavered and vanished in everyone’s eyes. Gone from this world.

Wild stepped forth next, taking a deep breath before stepping a foot into the portal—only to splash into the cold waters.

* * *

_“Is everyone okay?!”_

Wind’s yells faded under the crashing of the ocean waves. Link fought against the darkness, clawing out his way to the surface. He pushed against the waters threatening to drag him below, lifting his head just above to meet the stormy grays hanging over.

_“Legend! Link!”_

The world was a blur of blues and grays. A blond-haired head approached him, the arms holding his sides, stabilizing him above the surface. But he was still gasping, choking for air like a fish. _What’s going on? What’s going on?!_

“L-let me go! _Let me go!”_ Link wheezed. He clawed at the hands holding him. Link pushed himself out of the grasp, crashing back into the depths of the ocean.

_“Link!”_

Link covered his mouth. Fear swam through his body just as he sunk away from the hero who tried to rescue him. _Warriors?_ The captain dove towards him, his face crystal clear despite the distorted light under the ocean surface.

Link could see. And, when he released his hands from his mouth, he realized he could breathe. _Breathe!_ The world had turned upside-down. When the water became the air and the air the water. Warriors glanced at him wide-eyed, bubbles escaping from his mouth. The captain covered his mouth, wincing his eyes shut.

Link remembered. He could breathe underwater. But not his friend. His brother.

He grasped Warriors’s body, dragging him back to the open air. Coughing escaped from the captain’s mouth, along with a relieving gasp as his breathing settled down.

 _“Warriors! Where’s Legend?!”_ Time called out from somewhere else above the water surface.

 _“The dude’s a mermaid now,_ ” Warriors replied, his voice rasp. _“I-I think I know what’s going on with him.”_

_Mermaid?!_

Link turned to his legs. Or rather, what used to be his legs. Gasping, he swung his tail of a mermaid wildly and it propelled him away deeper into the ocean black.

Warriors was right. Link looked up to the surface, counting seven pairs of legs, each of them trying their best to support each other afloat.

Link groaned. _Were they eight?_ He tried to count them in his head, using their clothing as reference. He tried to name, one by one, but it felt as if someone... someone was missing, but he couldn’t grasp the name within his mind.

_“Where’s the traveler hero? Where’s Hyrule?!”_

An explosion of bubbles burst out of Link’s mouth. _Hyrule!_ He frantically searched around, swam around the vicinity, swirling around the others. He screamed for his brother’s name.

A pause, gasps of breaths bubbled as the kicking and ripping of the ocean vibrated behind him. Link turned around, eyes locked on the brown and green figure sinking, trashing around the waves as if it was a foe, only for his limbs to fall limp.

“Hyrule!”

Link whipped his tail around, extending his hand as he reached out to his successor. He gritted his teeth. _No! I won’t fail you this time!_

He swam as fast as he could, slashing through the sea back and forth until he grabbed the traveler’s hand. Link pulled Hyrule into his arms and twisted his body, forcing his way towards the light at the race of his beating heart.

A growl boiled within his throat. “Hyrule, hang on.”

He pushed his way out of the waters.

Link held Hyrule above him, shifting his own body so that the traveler’s head hung over the water. “Hyrule, stay with me,” Link choked. “Hyrule, wake up!”

_“Legend! Bring Hyrule to us! Quick!”_

Link swam, pulling Hyrule carefully beside him. _Please! Don’t let this be too late!_ The silence from the traveler worried him, only spared with the occasional choking and shaking breath signaling him alive.

Twilight, now wearing some kind of blue-scaled armor, swam towards them and pulled Hyrule out of Link’s arms. “Is he—”

Lightning struck.

Link buried his head under. His chest burned. Hands pressed against it, against the harsh pounding of his heart threatening to burst out. His breaths shuddered, turning shallowed and shallowed under the rippling waves of the sea.

_Why can’t I breathe? Why can’t I breathe why can’t I breathe whycan’tIbreathewhycan’tIbreathewhywhywhywhy—_

* * *

_Dream with me_

_By the sea_

_We will watch the waves crash…  
_

* * *

His back flared. Whites split the black seas apart. The grays waves crashed in, engulfing Link into the turbulent currents within. The roars of the ocean trembled into a monstrous surge, deadening Link’s screams into a silent cry.

_“Legend! Link! What’s going on?!”_

_H-help,_ Link choked. His hand shifted to his throat, trying to grasp away the invisible hand suffocating him. _H-help. I-I can’t breathe. Can’t breathe!_

_“Link!”_

Link faced the voice. A burst of white blinded his vision, cast over an angel flying overhead. _Zelda._ The heavenly light blurred into the grayness of shadows. And soon darkness caught up, covering the waters into an endless chasm.

_Zelda…_

Link let the dreams of the ocean swallow him.

* * *

_Hold my hand_

_Think of me_

_And I’ll fly…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My early birthday present to you all. I want to thank everyone who stuck with me in this difficult time. And I know there will be more difficult times for everyone.
> 
> The LU Discord weekly prompt before Linktober pushed me to finish off this chapter. While I didn't finish it in time for it, it helped grant me the motivation needed to finish as soon as I did. I cannot thank everyone enough for being so inspiring to me. Without you this fic wouldn't reach as far as it did.
> 
> Only a quarter of this fic remains. Hope that the last few chapters will be worth the wait.


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